The high court in Anambra has sentenced Nwachukwu Placidus, a former First City Monument Bank (FCMB) branch manager, to 121 years imprisonment.

The ex-banker was jailed on Friday for diverting a customer’s funds estimated at over N112 million for his personal use.

The Enugu zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Placidus in March 2018 on a 16-count charge bordering on forgery, stealing and obtaining by false pretence.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.

“Nwachukwu Placidus between February 2009 and November 2014 in Onitsha, Anambra State within the jurisdiction of the Anambra State High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud obtained the sum of (N112,100,000) One Hundred and Twelve Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira only, from Idemili Microfinance Bank under the false pretence that you have placed the said money in a fixed deposit account with First City Monument Bank PLC for it, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence,” one of the charges read.

The EFCC presented four witnesses and tendered several relevant documents which were admitted in evidence.

Idemili Microfinance Bank LTD, the complainant, alleged that Placidus was handed the funds as the branch manager of FCMB in Onitsha, for a fixed deposit.

However, the microfinance bank said the FCMB branch in Onitsha denied receiving the funds when it was time for withdrawal.

Delivering the judgement, S. N. Odili, the presiding judge, held that “the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt” and sentenced the convict to nine years imprisonment on count three, four years on count four and nine years on counts five to 16 respectively.

The judge ordered Placidus to refund the N121 million fraudulently obtained from Idemili Microfinance Bank.

He was discharged on counts one and two. The sentences shall run concurrently.

Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with The Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has been reportedly detained by the police over an allegation bordering on “cybercrime”.

The management of FIJ said Ojukwu went missing on May 1 while his contact numbers were not reachable as family and friends struggled to reach him.

FIJ said a track of Ojukwu’s devices revealed his last active location to be in Isheri Olofin, Alimosho LGA, noting that the area was the place where the police arrested the journalist.

The foundation revealed that Ojukwu’s family discovered he is being held by the intelligence response team (IRT) of the inspector-general of police (IGP) at the state criminal investigation department (SCID), Panti area of Lagos.

The newspaper claimed that the journalist is being held for the alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act.

Fisayo Soyombo, the FIJ founder, said he suspects Ojukwu was arrested over a certain investigative story he reported in November 2023.

Ojukwu reported that the office of the senior special assistant to the president on sustainable development goals (OSSAP-SDGs) awarded a contract for the construction of one skill acquisition centre and one block of six classrooms at Ajeromi Primary School in Lagos at the cost of N147 million.

According to the report, the fund for the contract was paid into the “account of a restaurant,” while the project was not situated in its designated location.

The report revealed that the skill acquisition centre was constructed in Ladi-Lak Nursery and Primary School on 2, Randle Road, Apapa, and the block of six classrooms in Metropolitan Nursery and Primary School, Adekunle Deen Street, Off Mile 2-Ijora Expressway, Ijora.

Attempts to reach Benjamin Hundeyin, spokesperson of the Lagos police command, were unsuccessful as his phone line was not reachable, and messages were not replied to at the time of filing this report.

Suspected repentant Boko Haram terrorists have reportedly set ablaze the checkpoints of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Borno.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, said the incident occurred on Wednesday.

The publication said the terrorists dressed in military uniforms invaded the Kasuwan Fara in Maiduguri and chased away the personnel of the agencies.

The publication said the terrorists burnt down all structures at the checkpoint, adding that the insurgents moved to the Kasuwan Fara divisional police office and attempted to release eight of their members in custody.

Makama said those in custody were arrested on April 24 during a raid carried out by the police on the notorious spot at the criminals-ridden Kasuwan Fara.

“Due to the rise and persistence of criminal activities and sinister operations by drug peddlers comprising dismissed military personnel, repentant insurgents and other hoodlums, who assemble there to conduct nefarious activities, the area had since been earmarked for closure by Borno state government,” Makama said.

“The April 24 raid, where the eight suspected repentant insurgents were arrested and 426 bottles of spirits such as dry gin confiscated, was conducted to sanitize the area, pending the final closure.

“The arrested persons were detained at the Kasuwan Fara police division since the day of their arrest.

“Subsequently, at about 7:40 am of Thursday, May 2, a dozen of the suspected repentant insurgents in military uniform, stormed the Kasuwan Fara police station in an attempt to rescue their arrested fellows.”

Makama said the police operatives engaged the insurgents in a gun battle, adding that the terrorists were overwhelmed and fled the location.

The publication said Kenneth Daso, Borno police spokesperson, confirmed the incident.

The police spokesperson said an investigation into the incident is ongoing, adding that the arrested eight suspects have been transferred to the anti-crack squad divisional headquarters for further action.