Crime
Teens Rescued From Trafficking Ring In Lagos
Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency officials have successfully rescued three teenage girls from a human trafficking operation near the Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area.
These girls, ranging in age from 16 to 18, were enticed from Benin City, Edo State by a female acquaintance and her suspected brother.
Allegedly, the two orchestrated the girls’ recruitment as sales girls through a job offer.
The statement reads “Three female teenagers aged between 16 and 18 have been rescued from a human trafficking ring operating around the Oto Awori LCDA of Lagos State by officers of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency.
“The three girls, who hail from Benin, Edo State, were lured by their female friend in concert with a man suspected to be his brother who promised to help them secure a job as sales girls.
“Upon arriving in Lagos, the gang lodged the girls in inhuman conditions at the Lagos suburb with the intention of transferring them to other members of the gang who will take them to Mali or Ghana for prostitution.
“The girls, however, stumbled upon the telephone conversation of the male member who had earlier lodged them at the shanty hotel and subsequently escaped through a bush path.
“A good Samaritan who saw them wandering around directed them to two LNSC officers who in turn hurriedly rescued them to the Oto Awori Command where they narrated their ordeal,” the statement added
The authorities stated that the rescued teenagers have now been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further inquiry.
Former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, along with his daughter and two others, have been slated for arraignment today (thursday) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
They face charges related to an alleged N2.7 billion fraud linked to the failed Nigerian Air project.
The proceedings are set to unfold before Justice Sylvanus Oriji at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.
The charges, based on court documents, accuse Sirika of granting undue advantage to certain entities in Abuja between April 2022 and March 2023.
The anti-graft agency has accused Sirika of misusing his authority by awarding a N1.3 billion consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air Start-up to Tianero Nigeria Limited.
This alleged action is said to contravene Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In a separate charge, the EFCC alleges that on or around August 18, 2022, in Abuja, Sirika utilized on or about August 18, 2022 ia, Sirika “did use your position to confer unfair advantage upon Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, whose alter ego, Fatima Hadi Sirika and Jalal Sule Hamma are your daughter and son-in-law respectively, by using your position to influence the award to them, the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1.498,300,750.00.”
The anti-graft agency asserted that Sirika’s actions amounted to a violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, rendering him liable to punishment under the same section.
In count three, the EFCC accused Sirika of criminal breach of trust “while serving as the Minister of Aviation and in his capacity as a public officer” on or around August 18, 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the court.
In late April, the former aviation minister was taken into custody by the anti-graft agency and interrogated for several days.
Zamfara State is in the grip of fear and mourning following a series of vicious attacks by bandits, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals and the abduction of a branch manager of Taj Bank in Mandir Laura.
In a daring raid, approximately fifteen armed bandits stormed the manager’s residence in Rijiyar Gabas, seizing him and vanishing into the night.
Meanwhile, Faru Town in Maradun local government area witnessed a bloodbath as bandits struck, leaving eight residents dead.
Eyewitnesses recount the terror as the attackers besieged the town, instilling fear and chaos before retreating with captives into the surrounding forests.
The incidents have prompted widespread outrage and renewed calls for urgent action to stem the tide of violence plaguing Zamfara State.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reached an out-of-court settlement with renowned barman, Pascal Okechukwu, famously known as Cubana Chief Priest, regarding charges of naira abuse.
This development surfaced during the latest court proceedings presided over by Justice Kehinde Ogundare.
Cubana Chief Priest has been facing a three-count-charge related to the misuse of the national currency at a social gathering, a violation of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
Details later.. . ..
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