CRIME
Court Awards N10m Fine Against ICPC over Malicious Prosecution
A Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, awarded a N10 million fine against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Related Commission (ICPC) over malicious prosecution of a public servant, Emmanuel Ibe.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment, held that the ICPC, in the course of the trial, had caused Ibe unnecessary discomfort and disruption in the life and career processing of the worker.
Ibe dragged the anti-corruption commission (defendant) before the court over malicious prosecution.
The plaintiff was, as at September 30th, 2016, the Director, Finance and Administration at the Police Services Commission (PSC) and also the acting secretary of the PSC up to July, 2016.
In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/379/2019, Ibe asked the court to award in his favour the sum of N500 million as general damages for malicious prosecution.
Ibe averred that in April 2016, while his curriculum vitae was being considered by the Presidency for appointment as the substantive secretary to the PSC, the commission, in a bizarre manner, invited the him to make written statement under words of caution in respect of a petition written against the Chairman PSC, Dr Mike Okiro about a year ago and which had no reference to him.
He said the ICPC, based on a petition written against him by a staff of PSC, Aaron Kaose, prosecuted him on criminal allegation and charges bothering on corruption, fraud and dishonesty.
He said as a result of the case, his name was dropped and not considered fit for the office of the secretary to the PSC and a permanent secretary was posted from another ministry to replace him.
According to him, pressure was mounted on the PSC and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to have him suspended from duty pending the outcome of the prosecution.
“But the PSC only yielded to redeployment of the plaintiff from the position of Director Finance and Administration to the position of Director Zonal Office Coordination,” he said.
However, the ICPC prosecuted Ibe up to judgment before an FCT High Court and his counsel defended himself on all the counts and at the conclusion of hearing, the court delivered a judgment and discharged and acquitted him on all the charges.
He said he defended himself in the cad by hiring the services of legal practitioners and incurred legal fees in the sum of N5 million.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Ekwo said that the court made findings on whether the ICPC was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“Now, from the judgment of the Court (Exhs. PW1-A9-A34), the prosecution (ICPC) failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“This means there was no basis for the prosecution of the plaintiff (Ibe) by the defendant (ICPC) going by the uncontroverted facts of this case.
“In other words, the defendant acted beyond the scope of its statutory duty when it filed a charge against the plaintiff and proceeded to put him through three years of prosecution which ended in his discharge and acquittal at the conclusion of the proceedings.
“This was clearly malevolent.
“I find that the case of the plaintiff succeeds on the merit, and I so hold,” he held.
Ekwo said that on the claim of N500 million against the ICPC as general damages for malicious prosecution, “the principle for the award of general damages has been well enunciated by the court.”
“The primary object of an award of damages is to compensate the plaintiff for the harm done to him or a possible secondary object is to punish the defendant for his conduct in inflicting that harm.
“Such a secondary object can be achieved by awarding, in addition to the normal compensatory damages, damages which go by various names, to wit; exemplary damages, punitive damages, vindictive damages, as where it discloses malice, fraud, cruelty, insolence, flagrant disregard of the law and the like,” he held.
The ICPC had filed a nine-count charge against Ibe on Oct. 21, 2016 and the trial concluded on Feb. 4, 2019.
“This was in my view, about three years after unnecessary discomfort and disruption in the life and career progression of the plaintiff.
“The effect that the prosecution has on the career path of the plaintiff cannot be quantified,” he said.
According to the judge, once malicious prosecution has been established, It comes with consequential damages.
“Upon weighing the circumstance of this case, I make an order awarding the sum of N10,000,000.00 (ten million naira) against the defendant as general damages for malicious prosecution of the plaintiff,” the judge ruled. (NAN)
CRIME
Enugu Police Bust Armed Robbery Operation, Arrest Suspect, Recover Arms
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
The Enugu State Police Command has sustained its onslaught against criminal activities during the Yuletide season with the arrest of a male armed robbery suspect and the recovery of an imitation firearm and ammunition.
The suspect, one Oshim Lambert Chimuanya (male, aged 28), was arrested on 13th December 2025 at about 11:30 p.
m. while attempting to rob members of the public around Agric Bank Bus Stop, Independence Layout, Enugu, following a prompt response to a distress call by operatives of the Command attached to the Independence Layout Police Division.In a statement sent by the Police public relations officer Enugu State command Daniel Ndukwe stated that Upon arrival at the scene, the operatives apprehended the suspect in the act of robbing an unsuspecting young man and recovered from him one revolver imitation (toy) pistol loaded with eight toy bullets.
The suspect is currently in custody and will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has charged operatives of the Command to sustain the momentum and continue to make Enugu State uninhabitable for unrepentant criminals during the festive season and beyond. He further enjoins citizens to continue to cooperate with the Police by providing timely and credible information that will aid crime prevention and detection.
CRIME
NDLEA Arrests Fleeing Bandits’ Drug Supplier in Niger
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in the area of Kuta, Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the suspect was nabbed three weeks after escaping arrest at his home.
He said that NDLEA operatives had on Nov.
20 raided his house at Anguwan Makera, Kuta, where they recovered 471.8 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.“Though he escaped arrest during the raid and has since been in hiding, the manhunt for him eventually paid off on Thursday, Dec.
11.“This was when NDLEA officers acting on processed intelligence traced and arrested him at one of his drug joints in Anguwan Fadama, Kuta.
“Intelligence reports had indicated that the suspect is a major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Shiroro local government area,” he said.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Abia on Thursday, Dec. 11 raided a clandestine codeine syrup-manufacturing factory at Amapu Igbengwo village, Umuakpara, in Osisioma LGA of the state.
Babafemi said that during the operation, operatives recovered a total of 9,015 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 1,152.2kg.
Also, in Enugu state, operatives on Thursday, Dec. 11 arrested another suspect along Onitsha – Enugu Ezike road with 7.2kg skunk.
Babafemi said that another suspect was nabbed along Enugu-Ezike -Ette road with 94.6kg of the same psychoactive substance.
“A raid carried out by NDLEA operatives at a notorious drug joint known as “Beere the California” at Ido in Oyo state on Thursday, Dec. 11 led to the seizure of 3.4kg skunk.
“Others are 1.6kg Colorado, a synthetic cannabis and 400grams of methamphetamine. The owner of the drug joint identified currently at large while a suspect was nabbed at the joint.
“Another operation at Idi Oro, Elekuro, Ibadan on Friday, Dec. 12 led to the arrest of Olusanya Abosede, 35, and the seizure of 238.4kg skunk,” he said.
In the same vein, two suspects were arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Gbaji checkpoint, Seme road Badagry, Lagos with 50,000 pills of tramadol 250mg.
Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives in Ogun state arrested another two suspects with 73kg skunk at Iperu, adding that a suspect was nabbed with 25kg of the same substance at Oke Agbede, Imeko area of the state on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
“In Ondo state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Monday, Dec. 8 raided a compound in Ogbese, Akure North local government area, where they arrested a 55-year-old woman and her 29-year-old son.
“The NDLEA operatives also recovered 1,187 kilograms of skunk and its seeds from them,” he said.
Similarly, a suspect was arrested during a raid operation at Uroe community, Owan East LGA of Edo state, where 461kg skunk and its seeds were recovered on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Babafemi said in Gombe state, a suspect was arrested with 40,000 capsules of tramadol at Tunfure area, adding that two other suspects were nabbed at Ashaka Jalingo, with 56kg skunk on Monday, Dec. 8.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 907 pills of tramadol, tapentadol, cocodamol, amitriptyline and bromazepam were intercepted and seized by NDLEA operatives at two major courier companies in Lagos.
Babafemi said that the drugs were concealed in containers of local black soap, and designer wears, in six different consignments going to the US, Canada and Sweden.
He said that the drugs were seized between Tuesday, Dec. 9 and Wed, Dec. 9 respectively.
Also, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Saturday, Dec. 13 intercepted a consignment of 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 23,579kg during a joint examination of a container with men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
This, he said included WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Community Senior Secondary School, Sheme, Katsina; Government College, Tudun Wada Dankade, Kano; and Methodist High School, Makurdi, Benue.
Babafemi said that the Enugu state command of the Agency paid a WADA advocacy visit to HRM Igwe Ikechukwu Samuel Asadu, Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa has commended the officers and men of DOGI, Niger, Abia, Oyo, Enugu, Seme, Ogun, Ondo, Gombe, Apapa and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity.
Marwa enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
CRIME
Mortuary Attendant in Police Net over Alleged Organ Harvesting in Edo
A mortuary attendant in the Upper Sakponba area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo has landed in police net after allegations of missing vital organs from a corpse kept at Akugbe Mortuary.
This incident triggered a violent reaction from relatives of the deceased.
The situation reportedly escalated when angry family members and friends accused a mortuary attendant of harvesting organs from the body.
Relatives of the deceased were said to have raised alarm when they arrived at the mortuary on Friday to collect the body for burial and allegedly discovered that some vital organs were missing.
An eyewitness, Osaro Ivie, described the scene as chaotic, saying tempers flared after family members accused the attendant of engaging in ritual practices.
“The relatives claimed that the chest cavity of the deceased had been emptied and stuffed with nylon,” Ivie said.
He said the relatives threatened to lynch the attendant and set the facility ablaze before police operatives intervened to restore calm.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, ASP Eno Ikoedem, Public Relations Officer of the police command in Edo, said the command received a distress call that a mob was on the verge of attacking a suspect at the mortuary.
“The Command received a distress call that someone at Akugbe Mortuary was about to be lynched, and the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun Division, was immediately mobilised to rescue a mortuary attendant alleged to have harvested organs of a corpse,” Ikoedem said.
Ikoedem explained that the suspect was rescued from the crowd and subsequently to custody.
She added that he was currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), where investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the allegation.
Ikoedem assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted, urging residents to remain calm and allow due process to take its course.

