Amos Daniel, a 36-year-old driver, says he stole his employer’s car on his first day at work.

Daniel said he then went to church to testify that he had purchased a car.

The suspect was paraded alongside six others on Tuesday by Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos police spokesperson.

Speaking during the parade, Hundeyin said two dismissed soldiers were among the four-man gang arrested for snatching vehicles at gunpoint.

He identified the dismissed soldiers as Akeem Suleiman and Abdulau Mohammed.

“We have successfully arrested a robbery gang through our tactical team based in Surulere,” Hundeyin said.

“The four-man gang specialized in snatching vehicles at gunpoint from motorists in Lagos.

“They have been operating for quite a long time. Two of them are dismissed soldiers, one was dismissed in 2014 and the other in 2017. They carried out their crime wearing full military gear.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Daniel admitted that he stole his employer’s car on his first day on the job, and rode the car to church to appreciate God.

“I was employed as a driver. The first day I was employed, I stole my madam’s car to go and give testimony in church that I have bought a car and it is what God has done for me,” he said.

The driver said he wanted to turn the car into a taxi.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have raided a “drug” party at an apartment in Sun City estate, Abuja.

The anti-graft agency said the party was dubbed ‘Go Hard or Go Home: Pick Your Poison’.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said 60 suspects were arrested at the party which took place on Friday.

Babafemi said 20 of the suspects tested negative to illicit drugs while 33 others tested positive.

The NDLEA spokesperson said Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, directed that the suspects who tested negative be released unconditionally while those who tested positive should be released on bail and report for counselling on Monday.

“In Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Friday night disrupted a drug party dubbed “Go hard or Go Home. Pick Your Poison”, where sixty (60) suspects comprising 25 males and 35 females were arrested at an apartment in Sun City estate in the Federal Capital Territory,” Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday.

“The raid followed credible intelligence about the drug party organised by one Stanley Ikechukwu who was arrested at the venue.

“At least six of the suspects: Victoria Adoga; Hamza Yari; Joanne Essein Joy; Socchima Valentine; Jago Imole; and Charles Indobuibisi, were arrested with different quantities of ecstasy and cannabis.”

OTHER ARRESTS, SEIZURES

The anti-drug agency also intercepted 6,125 cartons of codeine syrup, containing 1,050,000 bottles of opioid worth over N7.3billion at the port in Onne, Rivers state.

The NDLEA spokesperson said the illicit drugs were seized from six containers on Saturday.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, two suspects — Aikhomoun Daniel and Ayigoro Waheed Omobolaji — were arrested after they reportedly tested positive to ingestion of illicit substances.

“While Daniel excreted a total of 90 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.022kg in six excretions, Ayigoro discharged 60 wraps of the same Class A substance with a total weight of 662 grams in five egestion,” Babafemi said.

“Further investigation revealed that Aikhomoun Daniel actually stole the identity of his late uncle who was once based in Germany, a decision he claimed he took to get a Schengen visa to enable him free access to Europe, while his real name is Oladapo Olanrewaju.”

“No fewer than four suspects: Endurance Okon, 24; Joseph Michael, 23; Ovoco Bright, 43; and Goday Abanum, 23, were arrested in the deep forest of Ugun, Igueben LGA, Edo state on Saturday 29th June when NDLEA operatives raided and destroyed 18,632.22 kilograms of cannabis on 7.452888 hectares of farmland.”

The supreme court has affirmed the conviction of Francis Atuche, a former managing director of Bank PHB, over N25.7 billion fraud.

The apex court held in a unanimous judgment on Friday that Atuche failed to show reasons why the trial court’s findings and those of the court of appeal should be discredited.

Moore Adumein, one of the justices, read the judgment.

The court relied on its previous decisions to the effect that where a trial court’s decision on the demeanour of a party or witness is supported by the documentary evidence tendered, an appellate court has no business tampering with the decision of the trial court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) initially declared Atuche wanted over an alleged fraud of N56 billion, after which he was detained for interrogation at the Ikoyi office of the anti-graft agency.

The commission arraigned Atuche, his wife, Elizabeth, and Ugo Anyanwu, who was the bank’s former chief financial officer, for their involvement in a N25.7 billion fraud in 2011 before Lateefat Okunnu, the judge of a Lagos high court.

In June 2021, the court convicted Atuche and Anyanwu of N25.7 billion fraud.

While Atuche got a six-year jail term, his co-convict was sentenced to four years in jail.

Okunnu held that both convicts defrauded the bank using well-recognised stockbrokers to transfer money under the guise of loans and shares.

“It was a well-planned, well-executed scheme, but the bubble burst when the Central Bank of Nigeria intervened,” the judge had said.

Not satisfied with the high court judgment, Atuche filed an appeal.

The appellate court, however, upheld the conviction and unanimously dismissed the appeal.