…urges citizens to report illegal activities to the Ministry

The Lagos State Government has apprehended 10 fake enforcement officials at Cele/Itire axis of the state. 

The apprehended persons; Ojo Oluwaseun, Rafiu Agbabiaka, Babatunde Ibrahim, Abiodun Olusegun, Daniel Olanrewaju, Aweda Kabiru, Olufowobi Michael, Olamilekan Olasupo, Bunmi James and Iyiola Shola(female) were caught carrying out unauthorized enforcement earlier today using different fake ID cards. 

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Olawale Musa while addressing the Press, revealed that the arrest was made in response to complaints registered at the Ministry by concerned citizens. 

Mr Musa stressed that the suspects are not members of staff of the Ministry, adding that they will be made to face the full wrath of the law. 

He also disclosed that the tow trucks, Identification cards and other equipment owned by these people have been confiscated by the State Government. 

Expatiating on this, the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Bolanle Ogunlola echoes the Ministry’s position which urged members of the public to report every illegality promptly, through the Ministry of Transportation’s designated phone lines;  09020004000 and   09020009000

Police in Lagos State have intercepted some bags of substances, suspected to be Indian Hemp, at a Jetty in Ojo area of Lagos and arrested a suspect.

The spokesperson for the police in Lagos State, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development to the Newsmen on Friday.

Hundeyin said that detectives from the tactical squad, Ijaniki, intercepted the substances on Wednesday at about 4.30 a.m. while on morning patrol around Ajangbadi area.

He said the tactical team trailed one white Mercedes Benz mini truck to Ilufe Waterside Jetty, Alaba International, Ojo.

The image maker said that the operatives discovered that a large quantity of substances suspected to be Indian Hemp in sacks were being offloaded from a flying boat.

“One suspect (43, with name withheld), alleged to be the truck’s driver, was arrested. A total of 1,040 wraps of substances suspected to be Indian Hemp in 30 sacks were recovered.

“The suspect alleged that one man, identified as Ifeanyi, contacted him to convey the substances from Waterside Jetty to Alaba International Market, Ojo, in Lagos.

“Investigation is ongoing and effort is on to track and arrest the said Ifeanyi,” he said.

…Akindele is standing trial on one-count charge of bribing police official to compromise investigation

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Wednesday, admitted three documents in evidence in the bribery trial of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of Duport Midstream Company Limited, Mr Akintoye Akindele.

Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi admitted the documents and marked them as exhibits accordingly during the cross-examination of the 1st prosecution witness (PW1), Mr Ibrahim Ezekiel Sini, a Superintendent of Police (SP).

The documents included a petition to the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police by Summit Oil International Ltd, the original statement made by Akindele to the police and a motion filed before a Nasarawa State High Court.

They were admitted and marked as Exhibits A2, A3 and A4, respectively.

The judge had, on Feb. 28, adjourned for the continuation of cross-examination of SP Sini by the defendant (Akindele)’s lawyer, Mrs Funmi Quadri, SAN.

 Akindele is standing trial on a one-count charge of bribing a police official in order to compromise his investigation on the alleged diversion of the sum of $5,636,397.01, belonging to Summit Oil International Ltd.

When the matter was called on Wednesday, Quadri confronted the witness with the petition showing that the indebtedness of her client, according to the petitioner, is $5.6 million and N73 million.

While the $5.6 million is said to be the debt owed, the N73 million is said to be reimbursement expenses.

The senior lawyer alleged that while in custody, Sini and his team had several meetings with the defendant and on one of the occasions, Akindele was asked how he intended to liquidate his debt to Summit Oil.

But the witnesses said: “I can’t remember.”

Sini also denied that the defendant used a computer belonging to the police to write a letter undertaking to repay the debt.

Quadri then went ahead to tender the original statement Akindele made to the I-G, wherein the defendant claimed that the money he had transferred to an account provided by Sini was to demonstrate his willingness to pay part of the $5.6 million and N73 million owed the petitioner (Summit Oil International Ltd).

She said Akindele in the statement said, “the N50 million he transferred to Blissdon Nigeria Ltd, an account said to have been provided by Sini, was to demonstrate his willingness to pay the alleged debt of $5.6 million and N73 million.”

Meanwhile, Sini denied that the police had set up a different panel to investigate the alleged N50 million bribe because he was found complicit.

According to the witness, since he was the one accusing Akindele of bribery, “we can not be a judge in our case”.

At the end of cross-examination, Justice Osho-Adebiyi, adjourned to April 18 for the police to call their next witness.

In the charge marked: CR/595/2023, count one alleged that between 5th and 9th August 2023 in Abuja, Akindele, while being investigated by SP Sini and his team on a petition submitted by Summit Oil International Ltd on allegation of diversion of the sum of debt of USD 5,636,397.01 Million and N73,543,763.25, offered gratification of N150 million.

Akindele was alleged to have made a partial payment of N50 million to Sini, a public servant, to allow him to escape abroad and to write a report in his favour.

The offence is punishable under Section 118 of the Penal Code Law.