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2 Men Jailed 20 Years Each for Kidnapping Mike Ozekhome a Decade Ago

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A Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, on Friday, convicted and sentenced two of the four defendants who kidnapped Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on Aug. 23, 2013, to 20 imprisonment each.

Justice Binta Nyako, in a judgment, held that the prosecution had been able to prove the counts preferred against Kelvin Ezeigbe and Frank Azuekor, who were 1st and 2nd defendants, beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Nyako held that the sentence would run from the day of their arrest.

She held that though some of the counts against Ezeigbe and Azuekor attracted punishment ranging from death sentence, life imprisonment to at least 10 years jail term, she said she had found that the accused had been remorseful of their criminal act.

She said she also found that they had been in custody for about 10 year from the day of their arrest.

“I have considered the plea by 1st and 2nd defendants and I have noted their remorsefulness.

“I will sentence you to 20 years imprisonment each which will run from the date each of you was arrested.

“This is to serve as a deterrent not only to you but for other people to know that this is not the way to survive.

“We need to send the right messages to society that it is not acceptable to do bad behaviour,” shw said.

The judge, who ordered that the duo be transferred from the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS) to Kuje Correctional Centre, however, discharged and acquitted Michael Omonigho and Momoh Haruna, who were 3rd and 4th defendants, of the counts levelled against them in the terrorism charge.

She said the prosecution failed to substantiate allegations of conspiracy and kidnapping against Omonigho and Haruna.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while Omonigho, who was said to be the chief priest  of his community was in court, Haruna was not.

When Nyako warned Omonigho to be careful as people worship in his shrine in the open court, the chief priest responded thus: “I have repented my lord.”

The judge, however, directed that Haruna, who was at large, should be brought to court to face the sin of his escape from lawful custody, even though he was discharged of the counts against him.

They judge commended the defence lawyer, Bala Dakum, and the prosecution counsel, Chioma Onuegbu, for their industrious input in the course of the trial.

NAN reports that the defendants; Kelvin Ezeigbe, Frank Azuekor, Michael Omonigho and Momoh Haruna were first arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of a FHC, on June 9, 2014, on a 13-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping and acts of terrorism.

The charge was later amended to a 14-count.

While the three defendants were in court for the trial, Haruna was said to be missing after the attack on Kuje Correctional Centre by terrorists on July 5, 2022.

 They were accused of committing acts of terrorism, contrary to Sections 1, 8 and 10 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011.

According to the charge, they were alleged to have, on Aug. 23, 2013, kidnapped Mr. Ozekhome at Iruekpen on his way to Iviukwe in Agenebode, Edo.

Ozekhome was held in captivity for about three weeks before his release allegedly following the payment of N28 million ransom.

They were also accused of kidnapping Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof Hope Eghagha; Attanasius Ugbome and his friend, Emmanuel Maka Omorogbe, and killing five policemen and two prison officials.

The defendants were also alleged to have compelled Eghagha to pay N7 million, Ugbome paid N20 million and Omorogbe paid N3.5 million.

The five police officers allegedly killed were Paul Ajaka, Sunday Ewanshiha, Michael Akpada, Bakary Ekong and Innocent Odoh.

They also allegedly killed Lawrence Edora and Oyibo Okoye who were prison officers and made away with their service rifles.

The four suspects were refused bail filed on their behalf by their lawyer, Bala Dakum.

While Ezeigbe and Azuekor were held at the facility of the DSS, Omonigho and Haruna were held at Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Nyako noted that the defendants faced 14-count amended charge.

She said the trial judges were changed severally in the course of the matter until it was finally reassigned to her.

The judge, who said that the prosecution called seven witnesses, said Ozekhome testified as 6th prosecution witness (PW6).

Reviewing the prosecution’s evidence, Justice Nyako said Ozekhome’s “testimony was central to the prosecution’s evidence.”

She said the prosecution, led by Onuegbu, a lawyer at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, also tendered 16 exhibits in aid of its case.

She said Ozekhome told the court that he was kidnapped by Ezeiegbe and Azuekor as well as other members of their gang and that he paid a N40 million ransom to the convicts in dollars before he was released from their dungeon.

The judge said the senior lawyer narrated that he spent three weeks in the kidnappers den.

“Mike Ozekhome is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and swore with the Holy Bible while giving his testimony,” she recalled.

She said Ozekhome was a witness of truth whose testimony could not be ignored, going by the Evidence Act on eye-witness account.

In convicting Ezeiegbe and Azuekor, the judge also relied on a letter from the Delta State Attorney-General to the Attorney-General of the Federation which said Azuekor was indicted for a crime in the state prior to his arrest for kidnapping of Ozekhome.

She held that the convicts’ denial of their confessional statements was immaterial as they did not provide an alibi for the crimes.

She held that based on the evidence of the prosecution witnesses, Ezeiegbe (the 1st defendant) and his gang members aided and abetted Azuekor (the 2nd defendant) by attacking prison officials who were escorting Azuekor to court in Delta for another criminal trial, killing two of the prison officers.

“I find him (Mr Azuekor) guilty of escaping from lawful custody.

“I find that the prosecution has proven its case. This is very believable evidence,” the judge said.

Earlier before handing down the sentencing, the defendants were given the opportunity to plead for mercy.

Ezeigbe begged the court to temper justice with mercy since he had been in prison custody for about 10 years.

The convict, who said he had been suffering from different sicknesses like ulcer, asthma and diabete, said he had about 10-year-old child and a wife.

When the judge asked about his wife, a lady stood up in the open court.

Also, Azuekor pleaded that the court should be lenient its sentencing.

He said he had never been convicted before and had been in custody for about 10 years.

Besides, Azuekor said he had aged parents and that he was also suffering from a serious eye problem.

Their counsel, Mr Dakum, also prayed the court to temper justice with mercy.

“I appeal to my lord to apply the least conviction. They have families and they are the breadwinners,” he pleaded.

The judge, who appreciated Dakum’s industry in the course of the trial, said:: “When  we do this kind of case, it is not as if we want to punish people, but for people like Kelvin and Frank who think they were graduates and deserve good life, to learn.”

She said one should not engage in bad behaviour because one thinks that the society has failed him or her.

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Fury Fails in Revenge Mission Against Usyk

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Tyson Fury’s mission to avenge his only professional defeat ended in crushing disappointment Saturday evening as he lost on a unanimous points decision to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.Another classic encounter between the well-matched rivals ended in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with Usyk retaining his world championship belts by finishing 116-112 ahead on all three judges’ scorecards.

The Ukrainian thus continues on as holder of the titles belonging to the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO).
The result was a fair reflection of the Ukrainian’s control of the rematch given he set the pace for most of the 12 rounds.He was the harder worker, landing more frequently and with greater impact.
Fury described his grim-faced demeanour this week as “beast mode” and while his greater focus was evident on a night when there was no showboating.Simply, he was unable to make a dent on the extraordinary Usyk.Usyk’s performance confirmed his status as an all-time great and the 37-year-old will now look to become undisputed champion for the second time.This will be by toppling International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Daniel Dubois.Fury entered the fight at a fully-clothed 20stones 1lbs, almost four stones heavier than Usyk.Right from the start he took to the centre of the ring, showing more intent to carry the fight to his opponent.Towering over the champion, the Briton spat out his jab but he was also taking shots to the body.By the second round he was being stalked around the ring by Usyk -– a theme of the first fight.The pace was being set by Usyk but both fighters were landing in a lively start to the clash with Fury’s jab causing problems.Usyk connected with two big left hands in a fourth round that ebbed and flowed and as the fight approached the halfway stage it was desperately close.Fury staggered the Ukrainian with a short left uppercut and, having taken a flurry of blows to his body, he hit back with intent.Unlike their first meeting which saw the Briton suffer the first loss of his career, there was no grandstanding from the challenger.The fifth was the Gypsy King’s best round yet as he imposed his size and power, all while working behind his pinpoint jab.But he was caught several times in the sixth.Fury’s output began to drop and he was being driven backwards with Usyk’s left hand giving him plenty of problems.It was relentless pressure from Usyk, who put together a lovely sequence of shots in the eighth and finished the three minutes by backing Fury up against the ropes.The ninth round was the turning point in May when 36-year-old Fury was saved by the bell.While those dramatics were missing this time, Usyk was showing similar purpose as he continued to build momentum.He swarmed over the bigger man in the 10th, but also took shots himself.As the last two rounds arrived, it was Fury who needed to do something special to catch the judges’ eyes.A storming final round saw the rivals exchange blows with each having their moments in a high quality finish full of courage and skill.Once again the judges were called upon to separate the two and there could be no complaints.Usyk emerged a conclusive winner on each card to continue his reign as the division’s dominant force.(dpa/NAN)

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PenCom Issues Over 38,000 Pension Clearance Certificates – D-G

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The National Pension Commission (PenCom) on Thursday said it had issued over 38,000 Pension Clearance Certificates (PCC) so far to organisations, in 2024.

The Director-General of PenCom, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, said this at a workshop organised by PenCom for journalists covering the pension industry in Lagos.

The theme of the workshop was,  “Tech-Driven Transformation: Shaping the Pension Landscape”.

Report says that in 2023, PenCom issued 30,293 PCCs to firms.

PCC is an evidence of compliance with the Pension Act.

it serves as a prerequisite for all suppliers, contractors, or consultants soliciting contract or business from Ministries, Departmentss, and Agencies  (MDAs)  of the  Federal  Government.

PenCom commenced the issuance of PCC to organisations in 2012 in line with the Pension Reform Act,  (PRA), which mandates all organisations with at least three employees to participate in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

However, the certificate  is valid up to Dec. 31 of the year it was obtained, irrespective of the date it was issued within the year.

Organisations are, thus,  required to apply for new PCC’s each year.

Oloworaran said that the commission also achieved a major milestone with the launch of the e-Application Portal for the PPC in October.

She said that the initiative replaced the previous manual process, enabling companies to seamlessly apply for and receive PCCs online, significantly enhancing ease of doing business and ensuring compliance.

The director-general said that the Pension Industry Shared Service Initiative is in an  advanced stage of implementation.

She said that the initiative would digitise pension contributions and remittances, ensuring seamless processing of contributions and resolving discrepancies caused by incomplete remittance details.

“To further enhance contributors’ experiences, we have introduced a revised programme withdrawal template, simplifying access to voluntary contributions and revising the threshold for en-bloc payments in line with the new minimum wage.

“These measures are designed to make retirement processes more efficient and user-centric.

“But beyond policies and systems, what really excites me is the potential to transform lives,”she said.

According to her, technology has become the backbone of transformation across all sectors, and the pension industry is no exception, hence PenCom has embraced the transformation wholeheartedly.

Oloworaran said that there are over 10.5 million contributors, while pension assets are in excess of N21.9 trillion as at October.

She said that this progress demonstrated the strength of the CPS,  though not without challenges.

“Inflation, for instance, continues to erode the purchasing power of pensioners, and we are actively seeking innovative solutions to address this issue.

“We also continue to face the persistent issue of delays in the payment of accrued rights.

“Recently, N44 billion was approved under the 2024 budget appropriation to settle accrued pension rights for retirees from March to September 2023.

“Moving forward, we are working with the Federal Government to put in place a sustainable solution that ensures that retirees receive their benefits promptly and without undue stress,” she said.

She said that since assuming office, she  and her team had been focused on strengthening compliance, enhancing service delivery, diversifying pension assets to optimising returns.

She said that they had also been improving benefits and expanding coverage to include more Nigerians, especially those in the informal sector.

Oloworaran expressed passion over the micro-pension initiative, in particular, noting that it is the commission’s way of fostering financial inclusion, no matter how small an earning might be.

She said that the commission intended to use technology to scale the micro-pension plan.

“Technology plays a vital role in driving this inclusion from mobile enrollment to real-time account management,” she said.

She said that PenCom planned to rebrand the micro-pension scheme, and also target onboarding not less than 20 million Nigerians in the informal sector.

Oloworaran acknowledged the role of the media as stakeholders in the success of the pension system.

“As we integrate technology across every aspect of the pension industry, we are paving the way for a future where the CPS becomes more accessible, reliable, and sustainable.

“However, this transformation cannot succeed without your unwavering support as media practitioners.

“Your role in amplifying our initiatives and educating stakeholders across Nigeria is essential to achieving this vision,” she  said.

She  described the ability of  the  media  to inform, educate, and hold institutions  accountable as invaluable.

“Together, we can ensure that every Nigerian, including the most vulnerable, has access to a secure and dignified retirement,” she  said.(NAN)

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Price of Local Rice Drops in Enugu Markets

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The price of de-stoned local rice has dropped marginally by between six and 10 per cent in Enugu markets, causing many residents to shift patronage to the brand.

Report says that dealers in the commodity attributed the positive development to the harvest season for local rice.

A trader at the popular Ogbete Main Market, Mrs Rose Nwakwo, said that a 50-kg bag now goes for N78,000 as against N84,000 in November.

Another dealer at Garki Market, Enugu, Mr Chidi Orji, said that a five liter paint container goes for N6,500 as against N7,500.

Orji urged the residents to buy as much as they could before the price would shoot up again.

Daily Asset also observed that most rice retailers and hawkers, who sell in cups and bushels, are currently stockpiling the commodity.

Mrs Eunice Madu, a grain seller in Mayor Market, said that she was only stocking bags of the brand for the Yuletide.

“I must confess we are selling out almost all our available bags of de-stoned local rice, popularly known as ‘Abakaliki rice’, ahead of the Yuletide.

“Most people are turning to it due to its price drop and improved processing and de-stoning qualities,” she said.

Meanwhile, a buyer, Mr Edwin Okoh, expressed joy over the price drop, saying that his salary could get him more than a 50-kg of the brand for his family.

“It is a thing of joy that the price has gone down to some extent, at least I can get more than a bag for me and my extended family during this Yuletide,” he said. (NAN)

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