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N6bn fraud: EFCC re-arrests Mompha as court fixes July 3 for trial

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The special offences court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, adjourned till July 3, 2023, for further hearing in the alleged N6bn fraud trial involving Mompha, the social media celebrity, due to the absence of his lawyer.

On January 12, 2022, the Lagos zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Mompha alongside Ismalob Global Investment Limited, his company, on eight-count charges.

The charges border on conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, laundering of funds obtained through unlawful activity, failure to disclose assets and property, possession of documents containing false pretence and use of property derived from an unlawful act.

Mompha, born Ismaila Mustapha, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The EFCC had, at the proceedings of June 10, 2022, informed the court that Mompha was in possession of another passport aside from the one submitted to the court, as part of his bail conditions.

The agency argued that he had used the passport to travel from Ghana to Dubai on April 11, 2022, via Emirates Airlines in violation of the court order.

Consequently, Mojisola Dada, the presiding judge, revoked the N25 million bail variation granted to him and also issued a bench warrant for his arrest over his failure to appear in court.

The EFCC had also declared him wanted.

However, since June 16, 2022, Mompha was said to have absconded from the trial, even as the EFCC continued with efforts to secure his arrest and appearance in court.

Following his continued absence in court and the inability of the prosecution as well as the defence to produce him in court, the judge, on September 22, 2022, ordered that the trial would continue in absentia.

At today’s proceedings, S.I. Suleiman, the counsel for the EFCC, informed the court that the prosecution, in collaboration with its international partners, had secured the arrest of the defendant.

“We would like to bring to the knowledge of my lord that, in collaboration with our international partners, we have been able to apprehend him, and we plan to take him into custody and to produce him before the court,” he said.

He also told the court that the counsel for the defendant “reached out to me seeking an adjournment that he would be absent today.”

The judge thereafter adjourned till Monday, July 3, 2023, for continuation of trial.

Crime

Thieves cart away cows meant for church harvest celebration

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Suspected thieves have carted away two cows from the premises of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Testimony Parish in the Egbeda area of Oyo state.

In a post published on its Facebook page, the church said the stolen cows, bought at N1.9 million, were meant for its annual adult harvest thanksgiving celebration.

The incident happened on November 11 as the church prepared for the celebration slated for November 17.

After days of searching for the missing cows, the church solicited for financial contributions to buy new cows for the harvest celebration.

“Dear Celestians and The General public, This 2 Huge Cows was stolen where it was Tied in The Church Premises at CCC Testimony parish Elerumoke Area, Egbeda, Iyana Ajia and its meant for slaughter for the 9th adult harvest thanksgiving of the church coming up this Sunday 17th November 2024,” the church wrote on Facebook.

“We hereby solicit for your prayer for quick recovery of this harvest thanksgiving sacrificial materials.

“Anybody with useful information on how to recover these cows or any means of assistance to make the harvest thanksgiving a beautiful one should contact the parish shepherd.”

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Crime

NDLEA arrests businessman for smuggling cocaine through ingestion

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced the arrest of a businessman caught with a large quantity of cocaine.

Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, revealed the arrest on Sunday via his X account, accompanied by a video displaying the seized contraband.

The businessman, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly ingested a substantial quantity of cocaine in an attempt to avoid detection.

Babafemi wrote, “Detty December: Before you swallow those drugs, please remember that the new @ndlea_nigeria has the capacity and capability to catch you.

“The businessman who excreted this amount of cocaine will not only spend Christmas behind bars but also risks a life sentence at the end of his trial. Beware!”

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UK teenager risks 20 years in Dubai prison for sex with 17-year-old girl

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An 18-year-old British boy has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl in Dubai.

Detained in Dubai, a group of UAE legal experts, said the teenager was on holiday with his parents when he met the girl — who is now 18 — at the same hotel.

The teenagers who are both from London were said to have made plans to continue their romance when they returned to the UK.

The group, which campaigns to help people it says have suffered injustice in the UAE, said the young man was charged because the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures back in the UK.

It was gathered that the woman subsequently contacted police in Dubai and he was arrested.

The boy however claimed he was unaware that the girl was younger than him when they met. The teenager also disclosed that he was in police custody for three days and was unable to contact his parents.

“We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict,” he told Detained in Dubai.

“My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.

“When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. Then suddenly, police knocked on our hotel door. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”

The teenager, it is understood, could face up to two decades in prison owing to Dubai’s strict laws regarding sex outside marriage.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of the campaign group, said Dubai recently legalised out-of-wedlock sex for tourists but “still hosts a strict Islamic legal system”.

“Sex outside marriage is legal for tourists but only if both parties are over 18. The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time,” Stirling said.

“Since his arrest, she has turned 18. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.

“Parents will be scared to take their older teenagers on vacation with them where they could end up losing their lives over behaviour that’s completely legal in their own countries.”

The teenager and his family have called on foreign secretary David Lammy, their local MP, to intervene in the case.

The teenager is no longer being held in a police cell but is unable to leave the country, with his family facing bills of £2,000 for Airbnb accommodation until his case is resolved.

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