JUDICIARY
NGO Provides Legal Support for 250 Petty Offenders
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Non-governmental organisation, Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), has provided legal support for more than 250 petty offenders who were apprehended in four states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Abia, Enugu, Kano and Lagos, as well as the FCT , constitute the pilot states in which PRAWA is implementing its Decriminalising of Petty Offences Project which it started in February 2019.
The Executive Director, PRAWA, Dr Uju Agomoh, said in a statement she issued on Wednesday in Abuja that the project had yielded positive fruits in the four pilot states and the FCT.
She, however, noted that the NGO started providing support for petty offenders in June 2019.
“The first thing we did in February 2019 was to have a baseline research on petty offences in all the states before the actual implementation of other activities.
“This helped to provide legal and other support services to over 250 arrested petty offenders and their releases were facilitated.
“The advocacy component of our project has led to reduction in the rate of arrest and especially detention of petty offenders,“ she said in the statement.
She said that the Abuja Environmental Protection Board had reduced the amount of fine slammed on petty offenders and also the rate at which offenders were being sent to custodial facilities.
“Our campaign for vulnerable petty offenders during the COVID-19 lockdown was helpful in the diversion of violators of the COVID-19 regulations to non-custodial alternatives in terms of sanctions,“ she said in the statement.
Agomoh noted that Nigeria was one of the countries that still retained some aspects of colonial laws that criminalised poverty in their law books.
She said that these laws were targeted at the uneducated and disadvantaged poor people such as hawkers, street beggars and sex workers, among others.
“Our organisation keyed into the decriminalisation of petty offences campaign in line with the guiding principles initiated by the African Commission with the support of Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA).
“The project used the medium of research, advocacy, education, litigation, media campaign and provision of legal and other support services.
“This was used to address the issue of disproportionate impact of the enforcement of petty offences laws on the poor, disadvantaged and marginalised sections of the society,” she said. (NAN)
JUDICIARY
3 Docked Over Alleged Theft of Transformer Valued N50m
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Three men, were on Tuesday, arraigned before an Ikorodu Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly stealing an electricity transformer valued N50 million.
The defendants, Kehinde Akinkugbe, Tope Salisu, and Isiaka Amusa, whose addresses were not given, are being charged with conspiracy, stealing and malicious damage.
The defendants, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecutor, ASP Aminu Isaac, told the court that Akinkugbe, Salisu and Amusa, committed the offences at about 2.
30a.m on Aug. 22, at Ajeri Street, Ijede, Ikorodu, Lagos.Isaac said that the defendants maliciously damaged an electricity transformer, belonging to the Federal Government.
The prosecutor said that the defendants were apprehended by residents of the area, who later reported the matter to the police.
He said that the offences contravened Sections 411, 287 and 339 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.B. Olagbegi-Adelabu, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N1 million each, with two sureties in like sum.
Olagbegi-Adelabu, ordered that one of the sureties must own a landed property, and should present evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The Magistrate adjourned the case until Oct. 10 for mention.(NAN)
JUDICIARY
Tinubu Swears in Kekere-Ekun as Acting CJN
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President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Justice KudiratKekere-Ekun as the 23rd and second female Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), in acting capacity pending confirmation by the Senate.She takes over from Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who retired on Aug. 22 at the age of 70.(NAN)
JUDICIARY
Labourer Jailed 18 Months for Attempting to Steal from a Church
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A Jos Magistrates’ Court on Friday, sentenced a 28-year old labourer , Naanswan Daboer to 18 months imprisonment for attempting to steal from a church premises.The Magistrate, Mr Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced Daboer after he pleaded guilty to the crime.The magistrate , however, gave the convict a fine of N100,000.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel,Ibrahim Gokwat told the court that the case was reported on July 9, at the “C” Division Police Station by Yohanna Nanjul and Musa John, the complaints. The prosecutor said that the convict trespassed in to the church premises and switched off their security lights but was caught.The offence, according to him, is punishable under the Plateau Penal Code Law. (NAN)