Crime
Pastor Sentenced To Death For Triple Homicide
The General Overseer of Alter of Solution and Healing Assembly in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, Pastor Chidiebere Okoroafor, has been sentenced to death by a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt for the murder of three individuals, including his choir mistress, who was pregnant with his child.
In the murder trial verdict delivered yesterday, Justice S. Benson, the presiding judge, declared that the evidence presented and the confessional statement made by Pastor Chidiebere Okoroafor substantiated his guilt in the killings.
It was determined that Pastor Okoroafor murdered his church’s choir mistress, who he had impregnated, as well as her friend, Chigozie Ezenwa, and her daughter, Christabel Ezenwa.
Justice Benson, after reviewing the prosecution’s case, concluded that Pastor Okoroafor was indeed responsible for the murders. As a result, the judge issued a sentence of death, stipulating that the pastor be executed either by hanging until his death or through lethal injection, a method known for its quicker effect.
On December 17, 2018, the Rivers Police Command apprehended Pastor Chidiebere Okoroafor in response to a complaint lodged by the husband of the late Chigozie Ezenwa. The husband had raised an alarm regarding the murder of three individuals that occurred on December 11, 2018, in two distinct locations within an Oyigbo community.
The prosecution counsel from the state Ministry of Justice, Precious Ordu and Antonia Osademe, who represented the International Federation of Female Lawyers in the murder trial, expressed their satisfaction with the verdict, considering it a just outcome.
However, the counsel representing the convicted pastor, Innocent Ekwu, stated that there were valid grounds to appeal the judgment on behalf of his client.
In a separate context, Deacon Shola Mese, a security consultant based in Delta State and the Chairman/Managing Director of Focus Guard Security Limited/FBI Security, issued a warning against spreading unverified stories pertaining to insecurity. Mese emphasized that such hearsay could needlessly escalate tension in society.
Mese, who gave the warning in a chat with newsmen, yesterday, at his private office in Effurun near Warri, expressed optimism that the security situation in Delta State would improve because Governor Sheriff Oborevwori “has experience as former Senior Special Adviser on Security to the Delta State government, under Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan administration.”
Mese, who is also the founder of the Shola Mese Foundation, urged both local and international investors to consider the potential of Warri and other regions within the state for investment opportunities.
He cited his previous collaboration with the Police as the Patron of Anti-Cult in the area, which resulted in the successful apprehension of individuals involved in kidnappings along Airport Road in Warri and Effurun. This joint effort played a significant role in reducing criminal activities along that particular route and its surrounding areas.
He said: “Insecurity is a national issue, in order to tackle insecurity in Warri and Delta State in general, everyone needs to work in synergy with the various security agencies.
“As Patron of Anti Cult, we worked in collaboration with the Police to apprehend most of the youths involved in criminal activities. Through the Shola Mese Foundation, we have been able to rehabilitate the ones who were ready to turn a new leaf. We rehabilitated them through the acquisition of skills and other forms of vocational training.
“Through the Foundation, we engaged most street boys, who do drugs, because violent crimes are common among drug addicts. We rehabilitated and empowered them through our vocational training for free.” he added
Former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has strongly denied allegations that his properties are proceeds of crime, as he challenges the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in court over an interim forfeiture order.
Malami, in a sworn affidavit before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, maintained that all assets linked to him were lawfully acquired through years of legal practice, business investments, loans, and other legitimate sources of income.
He faulted the EFCC’s position, insisting that the agency failed to present credible evidence connecting any of the properties to unlawful activity.
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According to him, the claims were based on speculation rather than facts.
“There is no document before the court showing these properties were acquired with proceeds of crime,” he argued.
The former Minister of Justice also accused the anti-graft agency of inflating the value of his assets, alleging that properties worth hundreds of millions of naira were wrongly presented as being worth billions.
He further stated that independent valuations had shown significantly lower and more accurate figures.
Malami explained that his wealth was accumulated over decades through legal practice, investments in sectors such as hospitality, agriculture, and education, as well as loans from commercial banks, asset sales, and earnings from book-related activities.
He added that all his income had been duly declared to relevant government agencies.
He also alleged procedural violations, claiming that operatives of the EFCC acted outside their legal authority by seizing properties and evicting occupants without a final forfeiture order.
The EFCC, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had earlier obtained an interim forfeiture order over the assets, linking them to suspected proceeds of unlawful activities.
However, Malami is urging the court to dismiss the order and restore his properties.
A South African court has sentenced opposition leader Julius Malema to five years in prison following his conviction for illegal possession and public discharge of a firearm.
Malema, who leads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was found guilty on multiple counts linked to a 2018 incident during the party’s fifth anniversary celebration in the Eastern Cape.
At the event, he was captured in a widely circulated video firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air.
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According to court proceedings, Malema argued that the act was merely celebratory.
However, the court rejected his defence, ruling that the action was not spontaneous but deliberate.
The presiding magistrate described the incident as premeditated and emphasized that Malema’s position as a prominent political figure placed a higher burden of responsibility on him.
The charges against him included unlawful possession of a firearm, discharging a weapon in public, and reckless endangerment.
The court held that such actions posed a serious threat to public safety and could not be excused under any circumstances.
Despite the five-year sentence, Malema was granted leave to appeal, meaning he will not be taken into custody immediately.
He walked free from the courtroom and was greeted by hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside.
Addressing the crowd, Malema alleged that the ruling was politically motivated, claiming that certain forces were attempting to silence him.
His supporters responded with chants and songs, showing continued loyalty to the outspoken politician.
Malema, a former youth leader of the African National Congress (ANC), was expelled after a fallout with former President Jacob Zuma.
He later founded the EFF, which has since grown into one of South Africa’s most influential opposition parties.
Reacting to the development, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula suggested that the case reflected broader political tensions.
However, lobby group AfriForum, which initiated the case after the video surfaced, insisted the prosecution was based strictly on enforcing the law.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has issued a warrant of arrest against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, over their alleged involvement in a multi-million naira fraud case.
The arrest order was issued on Thursday, April 16, 2026, by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court after the two defendants failed to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment.
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The duo, alongside a third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, are facing a 21-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges border on alleged criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent contract awards, and the diversion of public funds totaling $1.3 million and N746,574,303.
At Thursday’s proceedings, only Mohammed was present in court.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences occurred between May 2021 and September 2022 in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency accused Farouq and Alkali of misappropriating funds meant to be refunded to the ministry by a private firm, Visual ICT Limited.
The money was reportedly linked to excess payments under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries.
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that although the charges were filed on December 15, 2025, the two defendants could not initially be served.
He added that despite assurances from their legal representatives, they failed to present themselves in court.
Jacobs further revealed that Farouq had earlier requested the release of her passport for a medical trip to Saudi Arabia in 2024 but has yet to return it or provide any medical report to justify her absence.
“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned it to the Commission, and no medical report has been submitted,” Jacobs stated, questioning the validity of the health claims presented by her counsel.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, attributed his client’s absence to ill health and attempted to tender an affidavit to that effect, but the court rejected the application.
The EFCC also sought to amend an earlier ex-parte motion to focus on the first and second defendants and requested a bench warrant to compel their appearance.
The prosecution supported its request with an affidavit stating that both defendants had been granted administrative bail but failed to report back.
In response, the defence counsel pleaded with the court to grant a six-week extension to produce Farouq in court.
However, in his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the EFCC’s application and issued a warrant for the arrest of the two defendants.
The case was subsequently adjourned to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and commencement of trial.
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