The Delta  Police Command have confirmed the arrest of a woman and her accomplice over alleged case of gun-running in Okpanam community, near Asaba.

Command spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe,  who disclosed this in a statement in Asaba on Monday said that the suspects were nabbed last Friday during a sting operation by operatives of the Command’s Special Assignment Team.

“At about 1600hrs of 13/6/2025, operatives of the Commissioner of Police’s special assignment team embarked on a sting operation at  Okpanam community, near Asaba, the state capital.

“During the operation, the team effected the arrest of one Ekene Chioma, (f), a 36 years old native of Issele-Uku community and one  Okafor Jonathan (m), an 18 year old native of Onicha-Ugbo community both in Aniocha North LGA of Delta State.

“Upon search, two English Single Barrell guns  and one hundred and ten live cartridges were recovered from the suspects,” he stated.

Edafe said that police preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects  were suspected of being involved in the business of gun running.

He said the suspects and the exhibits recovered were taken into custody while investigation is ongoing.(NAN)

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday sentenced a Bricklayer, Azeez Shoderu, to life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s eight -year-old daughter in a toilet.

Justice Rahman Oshodi sentenced Shoderu after he found him guilty of the one-count charge of defilement proffered against him by the Lagos State Government.

Oshodi held that the prosecution successfully proved the offence of defilement against the convict.

According to him, the survivor’s testimony is well corroborated with the testimony of the investigative police officer, who also testified before the court.

He said the evidence of the convict was inconsistent and all attempted to distant himself from the offence did not hold waters.

Oshodi said: “The prosecutrix (survivor) gave a compelling, eyewittness evidence before  this court  that the convict, alias chisco ‘took me to the toilet, carried me on his lap, covered my mouth  and put his thing in my ‘bumbum’.

“The prosecutrix identified the convict as his neighbour and when one of their neighbours  saw them, he threw  her into the other bathroom and ran  away.

“Her evidence was consistent throughout her examination-in-chief that the convict removed her pant and put her on his lap,” the judge said.

The judge also said that the convict’s action had undoubtedly inflicted deep psychological wounds that might take a lifetime to heal.

The court further held  that  the convict admitted that he interacted with the child at the compound, where he claimed to have asked the child to bring water to him in the toilet.

However, the child narrated that she went to urinate at the bathroom, where the convict thereafter covered her mouth, placed him on his lap and had sexual act with her.

Meanwhile, the convict denied that nothing happened when taken to the police station.

During his arraignment on Sept. 29, 2023, he pleaded not guilty.

The court held that the convict was a squatter on Ago-Hausa Street in Ajegunle, Lagos, where he interacted with the child, and confirmed that he was at a toilet facility where the survivor was also present.

The court held  that  the evidence of the survivor was corroborated by the medical report, the Investigating Police Officer and medical doctor’s evidence showed that the convict committed the offence.

The judge noted that a child that had not attained the age of 18 was incapable of consenting to sexual activity.

The court having found  the convict guilty,  hereafter sentenced him to life imprisonment and ordered that  his name should be registered as a sex offender.

The state counsel led by Mr Dare Dada presented three witnesses and tendered exhibits in court to prove the charge against the convict during trial while the defendant testified in his own defence.

According to the prosecution, the offence contravenes Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of 2015. (NAN)

An Area Court in Jos on Monday, sentenced to friends, Michael Auta and Gabriel Sunday to 12 months imprisonment each for  stealing  clothes  valued at N488,000.

The judge, Mrs Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced the convicts after they pleaded guilty to the offence.

The judge however gave the convicts an option of fine of N50, 000 each.

She also ordered that they both pay compensation of N200, 000 each to the complainant or risk another 12 months in jail for default.

Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Insp Daniel Damulak, told the court that the case was reported at the B division police station, on April 17, by the complainant, one Ms Gift Ernest.

Damulak said the complainant told the police that the accused persons trespassed into her shop and stole clothes valued at N488, 000.

He said that during police investigation, the accused persons confessed to have committed the offence.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code law of Northern Nigeria of 2017. (NAN)