A 23-year-old man, Rabiu Gambo, has been sentenced to 40 days of community service by a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court for stealing a wallet.

Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel handed down the sentence on Tuesday after Gambo pleaded guilty to the theft.

The court directed him to sweep the court premises daily for the duration of the punishment.

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In his ruling, Emmanuel highlighted the court’s leniency, noting that the defendant admitted to the crime without wasting the court’s time.

“You must desist from committing crimes after serving this punishment. Let this serve as a deterrent to you and others,” the magistrate said.

The incident occurred on December 27, when Yusuf Mai-shago, a resident of Ungwan Sarki, Kaduna, reported to Malali Police Station that his wallet had been stolen.

According to police prosecutor Inspector Chidi Leo, the wallet contained N50,000, two ATM cards, and other identification documents.

The offence contravenes the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017, Leo stated during the proceedings.

Prominent social critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as Verydarkman, has refuted claims that N180 million was missing from his NGO’s account.

Speaking in a video released on Tuesday, Otse expressed disappointment at how quickly Nigerians accepted the story without evidence and resorted to personal attacks against him and his mother.

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He said, “No money is missing; my money is secured. The way people are so excited about bad news is really sad. I told my website guy, shut the website, let us use this to catch cruise. Nobody bothered to ask for evidence. They just went with what is being said. I am so happy I did this.”

The controversy began last Friday when Otse alleged on Instagram that his NGO’s account had been hacked, claiming a staggering N180 million was missing.

The announcement sparked a wave of criticism, with many questioning the organization’s credibility.

In his latest remarks, Otse clarified the situation, emphasizing the importance of verifying information before drawing conclusions.

“This reaction shows how easily people can be misled when they don’t ask for evidence,” he said.

Man-in-the-storm, legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, displayed much emotion, while reflecting on the collective voice of Nigerians, which he claimed saved his life.

This surfaced on Sunday in a statement via YouTube and circulating on X, Farotimi attributed his freedom to the unwavering support of Nigerians who stood by him during his ordeal.

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In his words, “We stopped being human because we became Nigerians. They divided us, and we fell for it.

“Because you wouldn’t see me as a Yoruba man, you spoke for me. Because you wouldn’t see me as a Christian, you spoke for me. Nigeria couldn’t happen to me because you spoke.”

Farotimi continued, emphasising the power of unity in the face of oppression.

“You found your voices. I became you. And in our collective, you couldn’t be silenced,” he said.

Farotimi’s release followed his arrest on December 3 by officers from the Ekiti State Police Command on charges of defamation and cyberbullying.

The arrest stemmed from allegations made by renowned legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, who accused Farotimi of defaming him in a 116-page book titled Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.

According to the police, the book alleged that Babalola and other Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) had corruptly influenced Supreme Court Justices.

The claims led to Farotimi being arraigned in an Ekiti State Magistrate Court and later facing 12 additional charges filed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, at an Ekiti Federal High Court on December 6.

On December 21, the magistrate court granted Farotimi bail under stringent conditions, including a N30 million bond, two sureties (one of whom must own property), surrender of his passport, and a prohibition on granting media interviews after his release.

However, Farotimi had maintained his innocence. He told the media, that he had never lied against anyone.

“It is not ever an easy journey when you are fighting evil. Some years back, before I started this work, God told me that the truth is enough. It is the only weapon with which you can slay the monster called Nigeria,” he stated.

He added, “In my war against the evil empire that we all live in, I have never lied against anyone. If I don’t know, I will say I don’t know.”