In a curious ruling reminiscent of the suspended Justice IbrahimTabla saga, a judge sitting at the Kano State High Court has has sentenced a former bank manager who stole N65 million to a six month sentence or an option of a N2 million maximum fine.

The convict, Usman Salifu, who was arraigned on a four – count charge of pilfering,  allegedly stole the  N65 million fron the fixed deposit account of a customer of Oceanic Bank, now Ecobank, Yusuf Sale Dunari.

Upon arraignment, Salifu pleaded not guilty but he later changed his plea and admitted his guilt to all the four counts of the charge brought against him

In his ruling, Justice Dije Abdu Aboki convicted and sentenced Salifu, who was the  branch manager of the bank to six months imprisonment with option of N2 million fine on the first count; six months with option of N500, 000 fine on counts 2 and 3 and four months imprisonment with option of N500, 000 fine on count 4.

The judge ruled that all sentences are to run concurrently, meaning that the most that the convict would suffer is six months in prison. And if he can pay a fine of N2 million, then he can walk home free after stealing a depositor’s N65 million.

During the trial defence counsel pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy, saying that the convict is a first offender with aged parents and many dependants.

But the prosecuting counsel, M.M Gambo, urged the court to make orders regarding restitution in sentencing the convict.

The case is reminiscent of an earlier one in which Justice AbubakarMahmud Talba granted a former director in the Police Pension Office, John Yusuf, a two year jail term or an option of payingN750,000 fine after pleading guilty to stealing N1.3 billion.

Talba’s curious judgement elicited enormous controversy and a petition to the National Judicial Council, NJC, which eventually suspended the judge from office for 12 months.

After investigating the matter, the NJC ruled that the judge did not exercise his discretion judicially and judiciously with regard to the sentences he passed on Yusuf.

The wife of Prince William, Kate Middleton, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, has been delivered of a baby boy at the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, central London, where Prince William was born 31 years ago.

The Duchess of Cambridge chose to follow in Princess Diana, William’s late mother’s footsteps by planning a natural birth and the new royal baby is the Queen’s third great-grandchild.

Royal birth announcement said the boy was born at 4:24 p.m. weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

“Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight,” the statement said.

William also issued a brief statement, saying “we could not be happier.”

Cries of joy erupted from the waiting crowd amassed near Buckingham Palace as the news came through, and hundreds of onlookers, some of whom had camped outside for hours, struggled to catch a glimpse of the bulletin formally announcing the birth placed outside the palace’s forecourt.

The delivery was performed by the Queen’s former and current gynecologists, Marcus Setchell and  Alan Farthing respectively.

Kate was brought to the hospital from the Kensington Palace with her husband by her side at 6:00 am Monday and by 7:30am, a statement was released saying she was experiencing early stages of labour.

The world’s press has been camped outside the hospital for well over a week to catch first glimpse of the royal newborn.

The media siege outside the hospital began on July 1. Photographers and cameramen vied for prime positions, with some erecting step ladders.

The Nigerian Navy in Bayelsa State on Sunday handed over 23 suspects it arrested for alleged complicity in oil theft to the Nigeria Police for interrogation.

The hand over was sequel to the seizure of two vessels laden with 250,000 litres of illegally refined diesel.

Nine of the suspected oil thieves were arrested aboard MT Favour1, along the Akassa River, while the remaining 14 were arrested on board MT Rica along the Nun River both in Bayelsa.

The flag officer commanding, Central Naval Command, Sidi Usman, handed over the suspects to assistant superintendent of police, Chris Nwogu, who represented the police commissioner in Bayelsa.

Usman was also represented by the command’s operation officer, Commodore Emmanuel Enemor.

He said the two vessels were intercepted by the Nigerian Naval patrol team, FORMOSO which has its operating base in Brass @ocalgovernment area of the state.

“Instead of purchasing original products at certified loading points, the vessels were said to have diverted to the creeks to patroniselocally refined diesel,” he said.

Usman said investigations carried out by the navy revealed that MT RICA was operated by Alcylios Ltd located at 25 Warehouse Road,Apapa, Lagos.

“The MT FAVOUR 1 before its arrest operated under the business name of Petrol Marine Trading and Shipping Company located at 60Emekuku Street, D Line, Port Harcourt, Rivers. The laboratory analysis of the product samples from the vessels indicated that the AGO found on board was of low quality, thereby confirming that it may have been illegally refined,” the naval officer said.

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According to him, the captains of both vessels confessed that they lifted over 150,000 and 100,000 litres respectively of illegally refined AGO at Akassa.

“At the time of their arrest, they could not tender their ship’s documents, logs, NPA bunkering permits and certificate of registration with the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield,” he said.

Usman said the arrest of the suspects by the command had confirmed its renewed efforts to completely eradicate all forms of illegal activities and criminality in the maritime environment.

Two minors and an adult were crushed to death at the Bukan-sidiarea, of Nasarawa State, when a Toyota Camry rammed into them after veering off the road.

The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Sector Commander in the state, Francis Udoma, who confirmed the incident said a fourth victim was critically wounded and is receiving treatment at an unnamed hospital.

Udoma said the driver of the Camry car with registration number Lagos FST 931 AR, was drunk at about 8:45pm and was over-speeding when he lost control of the car, causing it to divert from the road,killing the three victims.

The sector commander said two of the deceased were brothers, aged 9 and 16 years.

“The car veered off his lane to the other side of the road where he crushed the three people, who died instantly and leaving another in a critical condition,” he said.

An eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN that the incident happened opposite Investment House at Bukan-Sidi, around 8:35 p.m.

The eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, attributed the accident to over speeding.

“Suddenly the car veered off his lane and ran into the pedestrian path on the other side,” the eyewitness said.

The bodies of the dead and injured victims it was gathered, were taken to a nearby private hospital by a good Samaritan before the arrival of FRSC officials.

Lagos State witnessed another mishap as a two story building under construction collapsed at Ishaga area of Surulere, on Sunday, claiming the lives of at least three  people.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, three people have been confirmed dead, three are receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where one of the victims is said to require a surgical operation.

Initial reports from NEMA stated that two people died but another body of a 13 year old girl recovered from the scene has taken the death toll to three people.

Sunday’s building collapse comes barely two weeks after a three-story building located at Olota Street, off Herbert Macaulay Way,Ebute Metta, Lagos collapsed, killing about seven people.

Finally, after nearly a two month ban, telecommunication services have been restored in Borno State.

The defence headquarters spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, told Reuters that the telephone services were restored “in reaction to the improved security situation and to relax the environment and ease tensions,”

GSM services were suspended in Adamawa Borno and Yobe states in May following the declaration of a state of emergency there, but the other two states got their no service ban lifted in the last seven days.

While restoring network service in Adamawa State Friday last week, the defense headquarters said that as soon as the security situation in the other states improve, network service would be restored.

Telecom services were also restored in Yobe State on Thursday.

The national publicity secretary of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba Socio-political organisation, Yinka Odumakin, says his views do not reflect those of the Muhammadu Buhari, leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, as he is no longer his spokesman.

“I ceased being Buhari’s media advisor shortly after the Supreme Court ruled on the 2011 elections which brought us together for a period of about 8 months,” he said.

The statement came in response to one earlier made by the CPC in which it disowned certain comments made by Odumakin, which was erroneously published by the a newspaper as reflecting the views ofBuhari.

“Our attention has been drawn to a Nigerian Pilot newspaper story of Wednesday, July 17, 2013…We are not aware of the mischief embedded in the reporting that was meant to achieve very politically capricious purposes” the party said in the statement.

It added: “Much as the story was embarrassing to our amiable National leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, we wish to disabuse the minds of our friends, teeming supporters and merger partners that this hogwash was a cynical display of un professional journalism.”

Odumakin however said that his views expressed in the said edition of the newspaper were not made on Buhari’s behalf, adding that the disclaimer by the CPC was unnecessary.

“In the said view written under my name as I have done several years now, I stated that the corruption going on in the South West States under ACN is far greater than what we witnessed underPDP,” he said.

Odumakin stated that he had expressed critical views about politics in the South west before in a personal capacity, wondering why his last comment would be seen as Buhari’s.

He buttressed his point by recalling that he dragged the former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao Akala, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in 2010 for asking each local government in the state to award five kilometers of road at N250mto a particular contractor.

“The newspaper quoted me correctly but mistakenly referred to me as “Buhari Spokesman” but never said I spoke for General Buhari. I had expected those who want to provide leadership for the country to read the publication they are reacting to before rushing to the media to “disown” who they don’t own,” Odumakin said.

The federal government says it has begun investigation into the petition against the Rivers State commissioner of police, JosephMbu, following the crisis that erupted Tuesday last week at the state House of Assembly.

Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade, a retired Navy Captain, disclosed this on Friday at the inauguration of 200 units of three-bedroom flats at Goodluck Jonathan Police Housing Estate in Idimuarea of Lagos State.

He said the “weighty” allegation was receiving adequate attention, adding that Mbu would be given an opportunity to defend himself before any disciplinary action could be taken against him.

The minister said if he is found guilty, Mbu would be dealt with accordingly.

He stressed that the force had no room for erring and undisciplined policemen and officers, saying they were expected to be alive to their responsibilities and stay away from partisan politics.

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Olubolade noted that the duty of a policeman as spelt out in the constitution is that of safe-guarding lives and properties of the citizenry.

“When any policeman goes out of his or her way to abuse the constitution and the constitutional rights of others, such officer should get ready to face the wrath of the law,” he said.

The Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, had written a petition to the President and the National Assembly accusing the commissioner of incompetence and partisanship in the political crisis in the state.

The police in Lagos State have rescued two Chinese from alleged  kidnappers following a distress call, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The victims, Song Jiang, a 56-year-old woman and a man,Zhangwen Xue, 45, who are workers in Supper Engineering Company, Odogunyan, Ikorodu.

Police spokesperson in the state, Ngozi Braide, said in a statement on Saturday that one person has been arrested in connection with the kidnap.

“On July 15, at about 2.50 p.m., the policemen attached toShagamu Road Division in Ikorodu, responded to a distress call and arrested a kidnapper at Shotumu village, near Shagamu, Ogun,” the statement said.

It said further that one locally-made pistol and a BMW car, with registration number CK 737 LND, were also recovered from the suspect.

The statement did not give further details about the kidnap attempt.

In a related development, the spokesperson said four armed robbery suspects were arrested in different parts of the state.

Braide said that two were arrested at about 1.55 p.m. on July 16 by policemen attached to Dolphin Estate Division, who responded to a distress call at the Estate.

She also said two others were arrested during a patrol on the same day at about 9.30 a.m. by policemen attached to Igando Division.

She said all the cases had been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations.

The federal government has directed that N1 billion worth of foodstuffs be distributed to the three states currently under emergency rule – Adamawa, Borno and Yobe – to alleviate the sufferings of residents and in the spirit of the Ramadan fast.

Minister of state for agriculture, Tijjani Bukar, who is to supervise the distribution of the food items, said that President GoodluckJonathan was very concerned about the sufferings of the people in the region and has insisted that the food items get to everyafftected Nigerian regardless of their political, religious or tribal leaning.

Bukar said that in Borno State, the foodstuffs would be shared across 3928 units and would be coordinated by the Kanem BornoFoundation with voluntary supports from religious bodies, civil society organizations, the security and the Civilian JTF.

The minister said each of the units are expected to get at least 45 bags of the assorted grains ‘depending on the size of the units’.

“We have put a mechanism that would minimize diversion that is why we are involving the Civilian-JTF, to monitor the exercise to ensure that it is not abused or hijacked,” he said.

Boko Haram insurgents have driven about 19 000 rice farmers fromBorno State, while a military crackdown is preventing others from working on their fields and over 20,000 residents have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries like Niger and Cameroon

The senator representing Borno Central, Zannah Ahmed, had raised an alarm over acute shortage of necessities such as food, medical facilities and water in Barga and Gwaza areas and had appealed to the federal Government to intervene.