Man To Be Flogged 10 Strokes For Stealing Aluminum Windows

A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday, ordered that, Mubarak Shuaibu, aged 26, should receive 10 strokes of the cane for stealing eight aluminium windows. Shuaibu,  a resident of Ali Akilu Road Kaduna, was convicted after he pleaded guilty to the charge of criminal trespass and stealing. The Chief Magistrate, Mr Ibrahim Emmanuel, gave the sentence after the defendant pleaded for leniency. Emmanuel said that the punishment would have been severe if he had not pleaded guilty, adding that the guilty plea had saved the court the pains of long prosecution. Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Chidi Leo, told the court that the complainant, Usman Adamu, of Abakpa area in Kaduna, reported the matter at the Gabasawa Police Station on Oct. 20. Leo told the court that at about 9. 30 p.m. the convict criminally trespassed into the complainant’s building site and stole eight aluminum windows. He said that the convict, who was apprehended and handed over to the police by a security guards, admitted to committing the crime. The prosecutor added that during police investigations, the stolen aluminum windows were recovered from the convict The prosecutor said the offences contravened the provisions of sections 348 and 217 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.

Man Bags Double Life Sentences For Defiling Neighbour’s Daughter

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Lagos on Monday sentenced a man, Joseph Ekanem, to double life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s 13-year-old daughter. Delivering judgment, the trial judge, Justice Abiola Soladoye, held that the prosecution had proved all the ingredients of the charges filed against Ekanem, beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced him accordingly. Soladoye said the evidence adduced before the court was sufficient proof that the convict committed the crime, not withstanding his denial. The judge held that Ekanem was guilty of the two-count charge of sexual assault by penetration and defilement, contrary to Sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015. Soladoye who described Ekanem as a “sexual terrorist, who ravishes children,” ordered that the convict’s name should be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register. She said: “The defendant is a bare faced liar, who has shown to be a pathological liar, is a disloyal, egoistic and a terrible person, whose perversion is unacceptable. “His actions are beastly, he should be locked away for life, as his conduct is utterly disgraceful. He is found guilty of the two charges and hereby sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the charges.” Reviewing the case further, the judge said the convict was a neighbour to the survivor, and attacked her while she was bathing in a shared bathroom. Soladoye narrated that the survivor screamed when she was attacked by the convict, and he tried to cover her mouth, when her neighbour heard her screaming. The judge said that other neighbours gathered and started beating him in the bathroom until the father of the survivor arrived and had him arrested by the police. “He pushed her out of the bathroom when he was found out. “The survivor confirmed that it was not the first time,” Soladoye added. Earlier during the trial, the State Counsel, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke, presented two witnesses, while the convict testified as a sole witness. Adegoke said the convict committed the offences on Feb. 6, 2021 on Oke-Awo Street, Bariga, Lagos. The prosecutor also submitted that the convict had sexual intercourse with the survivor and physically assaulted her by touching her breasts.

Police To Sanction Man Who Fired Shots To Celebrate Ladipo Market Reopening

The spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has confirmed the identification of the man seen firing celebratory shots at the Ladipo market reopening in Lagos State. The incident, which went viral on Tuesday, showed the individual discharging rounds into the air while a crowd cheered him on. Adejobi had initially announced a probe into the matter and assured the public that the man’s identity would be revealed. In an update provided on Wednesday via his X (formerly Twitter) account, Adejobi disclosed that the man had been positively identified.  He further stated that the Lagos State police command would address the issue, adding, “The man has been identified. The Lagos state police command will speak on it asap. Let’s wait for their reaction on the matter. I really commend the efforts of the CP on it. Excellent indeed. Thanks.”

MAN lists high energy costs as major challenge

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) CEOs Confidence Index (MCI) for the second quarter of 2023 has revealed that rising energy costs remain a major challenge facing manufacturers in the country. Challenges facing manufacturers according to the survey includes, energy costs; high cost of credit/inadequacy of loanable funds; multiple taxes/charges/levies/same tax policy for local producers and importers; unavailability of raw materials/delay in receiving imported raw materials; high cost of raw materials and scarcity of forex/high exchange rate/poor allocation of forex. According to the survey, about 63.1 per cent of manufacturers enumerated disagreed that government capital expenditure encourages productivity in the manufacturing sector; 23.9 per cent of those enumerated agreed, while about 13.1 per cent were unsure. MAN said the aggregate index score of MCCI in the second quarter of 2023 declined by 1.4 points to 52.7 points from 54.1 points obtained in the first quarter of 2023, which is also 2.3 points less than 55.0 points recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022. According to the survey findings, manufacturers within the country continue to grapple with the reverberations of the Naira Redesign policy, which was implemented during the tenure of Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).  Furthermore, manufacturers lament the hindrance caused by two concurrent factors, among which is the upswing in motor vehicle insurance expenses, which continues to add to the operational burden of manufacturers. Additionally, the escalation in logistics costs is a concern that stems from the heightened pricing of premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly referred to as petrol. This is of particular significance as manufacturers need to distribute their goods extensively across the various states of the country, entailing substantial transportation expenses. The survey’s observations underscore that the second quarter of 2023 witnessed a substantial uptick of 17.3 per cent in both production and distribution costs for manufacturers. This surge in costs further accentuates the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector and calls for a comprehensive examination of strategies to mitigate these adverse effects. Director General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, in the report said government’s capital expenditure should address the issues of economic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, water, etc. that support industrial sector businesses. “The absence of economic infrastructure contributes significantly to the high cost of operating environment which obstructs the development of manufacturing in Nigeria. “It is highly expedient that the government strives to ensure the harmonisation of fiscal and monetary policies that will pave the way for a stable macroeconomic environment needed to promote productivity in the manufacturing sector and improve the ease of doing business,” he said.

Police arrest man with fresh human corpse in Ogun

The Police Command in Ogun said one Babatunde Kolawole, allegedly found with a fresh male human corpse, was arrested and handed over to its personnel at Ado/Odo-Ota area of the state. SP Omolola Odutola, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Ota, Ogun, said the suspect was apprehended by Amotekun Corps. According to her, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Sango-Ota, CSP Saleh Dahiru, received a report by Amotekun and took the suspect, Kolawole, into custody. “Preliminary investigations have commenced into the incident. “Although the suspect did not deny the incident, he claims to be a native doctor who was attempting to revive the deceased.  “However, it remains unclear how the suspect obtained the fresh corpse during the late hours of the night,” she said. The PPRO said that so far, no one had come forward to claim the body, and the suspect had not revealed any information about the origin of the corpse, to enable police to gather more information and solve the case. She added that the corpse had been transported to the Ifo General Hospital for an autopsy. Odutola enjoined members of the community to provide any useful information related to the incident to the police. She also said that the community members could assist the police in their investigation by helping to shed more light on the disturbing occurrence.

Man defiles 12-year-old girl in bush

The Lagos State Government has called for more mandated reporting in the case of alleged defilement of a 12-year-old girl in the Ikorodu area of the state by one Mr. Ife Adekoya. The Executive Secretary, Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, who made this known in a statement in Lagos on Friday, said the agency swung into action on receipt of the report. “The case was immediately reported at the Imota Family Support Unit Police Station for investigation and was subsequently transferred to the Gender Desk Department of the Lagos State Police Command,” she said. Vivour-Adeniyi said that the mother of the survivor narrated that on June 16, her neighbor called her to inform her that her 12-year-old daughter had been defiled by a neighbor who lives on the next street. “The mother of the survivor claimed that she was informed the following day, having just returned from a trip with her husband. “The mother also alleged that a neighbor alerted her of the incident after engaging the survivor and noticing the suspicious act of the perpetrator, who was spotted with blood stains on his trousers. “Further questioning by the neighbor revealed that the alleged perpetrator lured the victim into the bush, closed her mouth, and proceeded to sexually assault her by penetration,” she said. She further said that the matter was charged to court and the perpetrator was arraigned before Magistrate Amope Layinka on July 26. “The suspect was arraigned and remanded at Kirikiri Maximum Prison, pending the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) advice, and the matter adjourned to Sept. 19,” she said. She noted that all forms of abuse, neglect, domestic, and sexual violence were crimes against the state, and that perpetrators would be made to face the full wrath of the law. Vivour-Adeniyi called on residents of the state to break the culture of silence by reporting all forms of abuse through its toll free line 08000-333-333, or visit its office at Novel House, Plot 3, Jobi Fele Way, Alausa, Ikeja.

Revitalise industries, manufacturers task incoming administration

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has outlined the sector’s expectations for the incoming administration within the first 100 days in office to revitalise industrialisation. Its President, Otunba Francis Meshioye, said this at the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) Agenda Setting for the Incoming Federal Government Administration on Thursday in Lagos. Meshioye, represented by Mr Ambrose Oruche, Head of Corporate Affairs, MAN, said that a change in administration was usually greeted with expectations, in view of promises made during electioneering campaigns. He said the expectations would also assist to increase the sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He said though MAN was an advocacy group and apolitical, the association had expectations from the incoming government. According him, the association looks forward to working with the incoming government to accelerate the Nigerian economic development, especially the manufacturing sector. “The assumption is that the new government will move swiftly to fulfill those promises they made and thereby justify the confidence reposed by the electorate. “This is the essence of the social contract and in a democratic society, the government is expected to be accountable to the people and deliver on the promises made. “I am convinced that this momentous gathering symbolises not only the ceremony marking the power transition in the country but also a mission to rebuild the future of our country. “This is by setting a reasonably transformative policy agenda to guide the policy decisions and actions of the new leadership,” he said.  Meshioye noted that the magnitude of the responsibility awaiting the administration was enormous, demanding high senses of determination, and resourcefulness. He said that almost all parts of the economy was presently in shambles, and in crisis. According to him, the crisis ranges from political and social rascality to arrays of economic imbalances. He said the economic imbalances were in terms of multiple taxes, fees, and levies imposed by all tiers of government. Others, he said, include foreign exchange scarcity, bourgeoning borrowing interest rate, energy insecurity, and an infrastructural deficit in a highly inflationary environment. According to him, all these have negative impacts on the real sector with graver implications on manufacturing, which has been battling poor performance and now on the verge of collapse. “Emphatically, while the government believes in tax increments to rake in more revenue, the action is highly counter-productive. Thus is because a high tax burden on manufacturing and small and medium-scale businesses will squeeze their profit margins, which will have an adverse effect on their tax-paying ability. “As a matter of fact, multiple taxes on the manufacturing sector cannot enhance government revenue. “Rather, it will only erode the operational capability, effectiveness, and competitiveness of the industry, with huge negative spillover effects on government earnings, job creation, and the economy at large,” he said. He urged the incoming administration to reverse the 2023 fiscal policy measure that raises taxes on beverages and tobacco and address the issue of multiple taxes in within its first 100 days. He added that the productive sector should be given maximum priority for the general good of all, in terms of wealth and job creation for the nation. Meshioye insisted that government must promote the use of local content by mandating the patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products by all government parastatals, agencies, and ministries as enshrined in Executive Orders 003 and 004. “Let us not forget that the manufacturing sector is also not doing well due in part to inadequate support for local content development in the sector by government parastatals, agencies, and ministries. “For instance, there is significant potential in the textile industry to produce high-quality military and paramilitary wear and apparel for the government that cannot be compromised and it is unfortunate that these are still being imported into the country. “Other critical issues of consideration include insufficient raw materials for the manufacturing sector, counterfeiting, smuggling, and importation of substandard products, inadequate and hard-to-get long-term funds, and the negative impact of the overlapping roles of some government agencies. “Together, we must build a resilient manufacturing industry that will withstand the test of time and safeguard the wealth of our nation,” he said. Meshioye also urged government to identify and break the power broker militating against the completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex to make available raw materials for our steel and automobile industries.