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3 INEC staff arraigned for alleged theft in Ilorin

...as fake American national gets six months jail in Ilorin

By Jimoh Sulyman
The Police yesterday arraigned three suspected thieves before a magistrate court sitting in Ilorin the Kwara state capital.
The suspects, Joseph Agena, Babatunde Ambali and Ajadi Iyanda who were said to be staff of the Independent Electoral Commission in Ilorin were arrested by the men of the Adewole Divisional Police before being transferred to the Anti-Cultism Section of the state CID.
The trios were charged with offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, negligent conduct, mischief and theft which are in contravention to section 97, 196, 327 and 287 of penal code law.
According to the report, the matter was reported on 06/11/2021 at about 7:20pm, by Ibrahim Abdulwaheed of INEC Office, Ilorin who reported that some unknown thief/thieves trespassed into their office, vandalizing their transformer and generator also severing and carting away an armor cable valued at N700,000.
It was also gathered that on the 6th of this month, at about 1am,the duo of Agena and Ambali, while on night duty as security guards at INEC office, criminally conspired with Iyanda, the technician in charge of electricity and other criminal elements now at large, to commit the criminal act.
It was said that the suspects vandalized the transformer and Generator plant cables within the premises of the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) office, severing and carting away the armor cable of about 7m long valued N700,000 among other valuables.
Further investigation by the police also revealed that the ruptured armor cable insulator and aluminum wires were the items recovered from the scene of the crime.
All the counsels in a consolidated application applied for bail of the three suspects on liberal terms premising on Section 169 of the Criminal Justice Law of Kwara State, and that all the defendants are ready to stand for their trial.
The counsels added that they’re all civil servants as staff of INEC, hence they are traceable to their official and residential addresses and that they have credible people that are ready to stand as their sureties.
They said that they’re presumed innocent until proven guilty according to 36(5) of 1999 Constitution, noting that they’re alleged because of the positions they occupied at their work place, saying that there is no evidence at this stage that the court can infer to make any case against them.
They alluded to the page of the FIR where it was stated that it was unknown thieves that carted away the valuables.
They also pleaded with the court on the ground that all the suspects are elderly, with families and dependants, also that the 3rd defendant, Iyanda suffered a partial stroke 3 months ago and only resumed work couple of weeks new.
However, the prosecutor objected that the reasons given by the counsels were not cogent enough and prayed that the court remands all the suspects at the correctional facility.
The presiding Magistrate A.O. Idiagbon, in her ruling, obliged to the prayer of the defense counsels, admitting the defendants to bail on the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties in like sum. She adjourned the case till 24th of November for further mentioning.
In a related development, a 25-year-old Ayeni Peter Oluwatofunmi, who has been impersonating a white American female, Daina Patrick, to swindle unsuspecting victims, on Wednesday, bagged six months jail term in Ilorin.
The offence, according to the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same law.
Ayeni was prosecuted on one count charge, which he pleaded guilty to.
Following his guilty plea, Counsel to the anti-graft agency, Rashidat Alao, called a witness who narrated how credible intelligence led to the arrest of the defendant.
The witness, who is an operative of the anti-graft agency, tendered several fraudulent messages printed from the defendant’s device, which the court admitted in evidence.
Alao, urged the court to consider the plea entered by the defendant, his extra-judicial statements, the testimony of the sole prosecution witness and exhibits tendered to convict the defendant as charged.
Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar, in his judgement, said the “court is satisfied that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.”
He sentenced Ayeni to six months jail term and ordered the forfeiture of 200 US dollars which the convict benefitted from the unlawful activity, as well as the phone used to perpetrate the crime to the Federal government.

 

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