General
How CCTV Caused Dismissal Of 3 Lagos Policemen
By Ebitonye Akpodigha
The end of the road has come for three policemen in Lagos alleged to be terrorists to drug pushers and cyber-crime fraudsters in the Surulere area of the state.
According to New Telegraph, the three policemen followed a suspected fraudster into a banking hall to withdraw money from his account.
It was reported that the policemen, Sergeant Okechukwu Okpokwu, Sergeant Idemudia Monday and Corporal Bienonwu Richard, were all attached to Area C Police Command, Surulere, Lagos State.
Trouble started for the policemen after they sighted a car while on a ‘Stop and Search’ duty along Bode Thomas Street and accused the driver of being a fraudster.
Although the driver, who was in the car with a friend tried to deny the allegations, but a bank alert, which came into his phone while the argument was still on, belied his claims. Rather than arrest him, the policemen insisted they wanted a piece of the action.
They followed the suspect to the nearest First Bank branch in the area to withdraw some money. The policemen would have made away with the money, but for the Close Circuit Television (CCTV), in the banking hall which recorded the transaction. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, was said to have been furious with the policemen that he ordered for their arrest and orderly room trial.
They were subsequently later dismissed and charged with armed robbery. A police source said that the suspected fraudster was driving a Honda Accord car (End of Discussion), white in colour, when he was flagged down by the policemen. The policemen carried out a search of the car.
They accused the driver and his occupants of being cyber fraudsters, but they denied.
The policemen seized their phones and ATM cards.
The source said: “Unfortunately for the driver, at that precise moment, a bank alert entered his phone. The alert allegedly implicated them as being cyber fraudsters.
“The policemen were happy. They asked the suspects the meaning of such an alert. The suspects started begging. The policemen said they would collect N1m or arrest them.”
It was gathered that while this haggling with the suspects was going on, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who was in charge of the team, sat in the police patrol van with the police driver, unaware that his men were making a deal that would change their lives. After haggling and begging, the policemen agreed to accept N350,000.
The driver told the policemen that he wouldn’t be able to withdraw N350, 000 with his ATM card. He said that he needed to go to bank to make withdrawal. One of the policemen, Okechukwu, said he would go with him.
The police source said: “Before leaving for the bank, Okechukwu went and changed from his uniform, into a mufti. He went to his team leader, the ASP, who was inside the patrol van, to tell him that he needed a few minutes break. All this while, he held unto the ATM cards and phones of the suspects.
“He didn’t want them to escape. He followed them to the nearest First bank branch there. The driver first used his ATM card to withdraw some money, but he couldn’t get up to N350, 000; he decided to cash the rest over the counter.
“Okechukwu followed him into the banking hall. After the driver collected the money, he handed it over to Okechukwu, but Okechukwu refused to collect it. He wanted to know if the money was complete. The suspect told him to count it. He proceeded to count it.”
Assured that the money was complete, Okechukwu handed the seized phones to the driver and his friend and went back to his duty post. When the driver got home, he narrated his experience to a friend.
The friend narrated it to a policeman stationed at police headquarters, Ikeja. The matter was taken to Owoseni. Owoseni ordered that the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), in charge of operations, should investigate the matter.
A radio message was sent that the policemen should report to the command.
When they walked into the DC’s office, they sighted the suspect and were shocked. The DC told the suspect to narrate his story. He did. The policemen said they had never set eyes on the suspect, let alone to have received N350, 000 from him. When the ASP heard the story, he was shocked.
He said he wasn’t aware of such an incident and didn’t know or recognise the suspect. The suspect told the DC that it was just the three policemen, Okechukwu, Monday and Richard that searched his car and later transacted with him. The suspect stressed that the ASP was inside the police van, with a police driver. The policemen still denied the allegation, insisting that the suspect fabricated lies against them.
The DC became infuriated and went to report the latest development to Owoseni.
The policemen were brought before Owoseni. Owoseni begged them to tell him the truth and bring out the money. Owoseni said if they told the truth and bring out the money; he would apologise to the suspect, hand over the money and forget the matter. But the policemen remained adamant in their denial.
The CP became confused and decided to question the suspect, turned complainant further. The driver stuck to his story. Determined to dig out the truth, Owoseni took over the investigation himself. He went to the bank and convinced the bank manager to play the bank’s CCTV recording.
Owoseni presented the recording to the policemen, but Okechukwu, even though he saw himself collecting and counting money in the screen, still said the image wasn’t him. Owoseni got angry. Owoseni ordered that the men should go on orderly room trial. It was during the trial that they owned up to their crime and brought out the money. The police source said: “While this was happening, the Area C Commander was not around.
The Acting Area Commander was called on the matter, and without thinking twice, started defending the men. He said they were innocent. The CCTV was played for him. The CP issued him query and later suspended him. The ASP and driver were pardoned.”
Last week Friday, their signal came out; the three of them were dismissed. The CP further instructed that they should be detained and charged to court for robbery.
“The CP said they held gun, followed someone into banking hall to collect money. He said it was robbery,” said the source.
He added: “There are allegations that Richard used to hunt suspected drug pushers and cyber fraudsters in Surulere and was always collecting money from them. It was also believed that he knows that particular suspect that led to his downfall. He was also described as a very rich man and terrorist to residents of Surulere. If they had brought out the money earlier, the CP would have pardoned them.”
https://newtelegraphonline.com/cctv-caused-dismissal-three-policemen/
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the petition to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central, Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, did not meet the requirements.
In a statement on Thursday, the electoral commission said the petition did not meet the requirements of the constitution.
“The petition for the recall of the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended),” INEC wrote on its X handle.
INEC cited Section 69(a) of the Constitution, which stipulates that a petition to recall a senator needs the signatures of more than one-half of the registered voters in the lawmaker’s constituency.
“The total number of registered voters in the Kogi Central Senatorial District is 474,554. More than one-half of this figure (i.e. 50%+1) is 237,277+1, which is at least 237,278 voters,” the statement issued by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Mr Sam Olumekun read in part.
“Across the 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas and five Local Government Areas that make up the Senatorial District, the Commission ascertained 208,132 signatures/thumbprints from the submission made by the petitioners.”
The development comes some days after the electoral body rejected the petition to recall the embattled lawmaker, citing missing addresses and other issues.
The petitioners later submitted the missing items, and on March 26, the body confirmed that it has received the contact addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of representatives of those who submitted the petition for the recall of the suspended senator.
INEC added that the next step was to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50 per cent) of the registered voters in the constituency.
With this, INEC has concluded that the petition has yet to meet all requirements for the recall of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as enshrined in amended 1999 constitution.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector have been encouraged to enter for the 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize for a chance to win $160,000 set aside by the organisers.
Applications for the contest opened today, Thursday, April 3, and will close on Tuesday, June 10, a statement made available to Business Post said.
The competition, in its seventh edition, is for promising young co-founders and founders across Africa who have launched businesses across the continent’s agrifood value chain “from seed to fork”.
Judges will be looking for innovative, scalable, and impact-driven agripreneurs not more than 35 years who have built tech-savvy, sustainable businesses tackling food security, job creation, and equitable economic growth.
Participants must be a citizen of an African Union member country, and must serve as a founder or co-founder of a legally registered venture operating in Africa, which must be registered by June 10, 2025.
In September 2025, GoGettaz finalists will pitch their businesses live on stage in Dakar, Senegal during the annual Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) taking place from August 31, to September 5, 2025.
Two grand prizes of $50,000 each will be awarded to the most outstanding male and female-led agribusinesses. An additional US$60,000 in Impact Awards will recognize businesses excelling in key areas such as technology, innovation, nutrition, food security, improving rural livelihoods, climate resilience, gender equity, natural resource conservation, and job creation.
“I am continually amazed by the ingenuity and determination of the young entrepreneurs we meet through the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition each year.
“Their ability to leverage technology and innovative business models showcases the immense potential of the agrifood sector and the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in sustainable development.
“As we launch the 2025 campaign, we are inspired by the opportunity to empower and support young entrepreneurs who are enhancing job creation, uplifting communities, and nourishing Africa’s growing population,” the chief executive of Yara International and co-founder of GoGettaz, Svein Tore Holsether, stated.
Also, the another co-founder of GoGettaz and chairman of Econet Group, Mr Strive Masiyiwa, said, “Africa’s youth are brimming with creative energy and ideas to solve myriad problems with innovative solutions.
“They aren’t waiting around for the perfect conditions; they are seizing the moment and embracing technology to revolutionize the agrifood industry across the continent,” he noted. “They are launching remarkable ventures, but to ensure they can grow and scale, our youth need the right support, access to capital, skills, and enabling environments to grow their young businesses into multimillion-dollar pan-African and global agribusinesses.
“Our amazing young entrepreneurs deserve both recognition and support, which is why GoGettaz exists.”
The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is an integral part of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF), the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will empower Africa’s young leaders for food systems transformation.
With the 2025 AFSF theme Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize competition is set to empower youth entrepreneurs from across West, Northern, Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa who looking to showcase, grow, and scale, their agrifood businesses.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Members of the public have been warned against buying, selling, leasing or letting of Hampton Harbour landed property, emphasising that doing so could be very risky.
This caveat is from Structured HQ Legal (SHQ) via a statement to Business Post on Thursday afternoon through one of its representatives.
The company stressed that the property is currently under legal scrutiny, cautioning that any individual or entity engaging in transactions related to Hampton Harbour does so at their own risk, emphasising further that unauthorized dealings could lead to significant financial loss and expose parties involved to legal consequences.
“The public is strongly advised to exercise caution and ensure due diligence before engaging in any transactions concerning Hampton Harbour.
“Prospective buyers, investors, or stakeholders must seek formal confirmation and approval from Structured HQ Legal or Baggeren International Company Limited to avoid financial and legal risks,” a part of the notice stated.
The legal organisation warned that any person(s) who proceeds with any dealings in relation to the Hampton Harbour property risks both financial loss and potential legal actions noting that such transactions may result in criminal and civil liabilities for trespass or fraud.
The landed property measuring at 19.5 hectares is located at Elegushi Royal Family Land in Ikate, Eti Osa, Local Government Area of Lagos State with reference number 376/376/2777GC. The property is said to belong to the Baggeren International Company.
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