CRIME
Kogi Gov’t Denies Commercialisation of COVID-19 Vaccination
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), has denied media reports, alleging demand for money by its health administrators from Covid-19 jab takers as precondition for administering the vaccine on them.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in a press briefing in Bauchi State, had alleged that vaccine administrators in Kogi State were demanding money from jab takers before vaccinating them.
A statement by the Executive Director of the Agency, Dr Abubakar Yakubu, on Tuesday in Lokoja, said the purported report was misleading and far from the realities on COVID-19 vaccination in the state.
He stressed that the report was highly unlikely to be true as the group failed to back up its purported findings with actual facts and without using the appropriate channels.
Yakubu added that it was a known fact that the agency had been engaging in a high level social sensitisation and mobilisation advocacy across communities in the state in other to have increased uptake of the vaccine.
”How can something we are practically persuading the people to take, will now be the same thing to be demanding for money before administering?,” the executive director queried.
He emphasised that the agency had closely monitored the activities of the administrators vis-a-viz enlightenment to persuade the people across the state to take the COVID-19 vaccine, since the commencement of its administration in the State,
The KSPHCDA boss added that the said discovery should have been addressed to the appropriate agency in the State rather than addressing newsmen in Bauchi State on a purported event that was claimed to have happened in Kogi State.
Yakubu maintained that the claim by the group was practically impossible to happen in Kogi State where his agency and the state’s Ministry of Health were still doing a high level advocacy and community sensitization alongside relevant NGOs for COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
He described the report by CITAD of demanding for money for COVID-19 vaccination in any part of Kogi State as false, baseless and misleading with political undertone.
”The State Government completely rejects the report and thereby demand for an immediate and unreserved apology from the publisher of the fake news as well as its generator, CITAD. Failure to tender their apologies, the government would be forced to take punitive measures against NGO and its collaborators,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yakubu noted that KSPHCDA had set up a team of investigators who are painstakingly analysing the purported report in order to expose the perpetrators as well as the motive behind their action.
Speaking with our correspondent, Mr Folayan Idowu, the State Coordinator National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), who is also a member of the State Joint Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccination, also refuted the allegation, saying it was unfounded.
According to Idowu, the task force has been embarking on weekly patrol to monitor the administration of COVID-19 vaccine across the 21 LGAs, insisting that there was no record of such incident.
A Kaduna Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday sentenced a 39-year-old travel agent, Adebayo Oyeronke, to four years imprisonment over a N6.2 million visa fraud.
Oyeronke had pleaded guilty to the charges of fraud and theft.
Delivering judgment, Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel, held that Oyeronke was guilty of defrauding Rita Francis and four others of the sum of N6.
2 million.Emmanuel who did not give the convict an option of fine, ordered him to pay N2 million each as compensation to the victims.
The magistrate also ordered him to undertake an affidavit of good conduct, pledging never to engage in any criminal or corrupt activities again.
Earlier, the prosecution Insp.
Chidi Leo told the court that the convict committed the offences between December 2024 and April 2025 at Barnawa Kaduna.Leo said that the defendant collected N6.2 million from the complainants; Rita Francis, Mohammed Sadiq, Christian Baba, Williams Abiodun and Nathan Victor, with a promise to get them Polish visa.
He said after the convict collected the money, he absconded to an unknown destination until he was arrested on May 15.
The prosecutor said the offences contravened the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017. (NAN)
A 31-year-old woman, Opeyemi Bakare, on Tuesday appeared before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing an iPhone valued at N500,000.
Bakare, of undisclosed address, was charged with two counts of conspiracy and stealing .
The prosecutor, Insp Iyabo Oladoyin, told the court that the defendant and others at large conspired and committed the offences on May 2 at 3.
30 p. m. in the Dugbe area of Ibadan.According to Oladoyin, the defendant stole an iPhone 12 valued at N505,000, belonging to the complainant, Mr Oluseyi Oba.
The prosecutor said the phone was stolen in Dugbe Market and was tracked to the defendant.
She said the offences contravened Sections 390 (9) and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Magistrate, Mrs T.G. Daodu, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of one million naira with two sureties in like sum.
Daodu thereafter adjourned the case until July 8 for hearing. (NAN)
A 31-year-old woman, Opeyemi Bakare, on Tuesday appeared before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing an iPhone valued at N500,000.
Bakare, of undisclosed address, was charged with two counts of conspiracy and stealing .
The prosecutor, Insp Iyabo Oladoyin, told the court that the defendant and others at large conspired and committed the offences on May 2 at 3.30 p.m. in the Dugbe area of Ibadan.
According to Oladoyin, the defendant stole an iPhone 12 valued at N505,000, belonging to the complainant, Mr Oluseyi Oba.
The prosecutor said the phone was stolen in Dugbe Market and was tracked to the defendant.
She said the offences contravened Sections 390 (9) and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Magistrate, Mrs T.G. Daodu, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of one million naira with two sureties in like sum.
Daodu thereafter adjourned the case until July 8 for hearing. (NAN)
A 40 – year old prostitute, Adeosun Adepeju was on Tuesday arraigned before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stabbing her colleague in the stomach during work period.
Adepeju of undisclosed address was standing trial on a count charge bordering on assault.
She pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecuting Counsel, Cpl.
Helen Ojo told the court that Adepeju on May 21, at about 12:30 a.m., at Ring road area, Ibadan, stabbed her colleague, Stella Mago with scissors in her stomach.Ojo said that the stabbing caused the complainant bodily harm.
She added that the offence contravened Section 335 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.
The Magistrate, Mrs M. M. Olagbenro admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N300, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
Olagbenro adjourned the matter until May 30, for hearing. (NAN)
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