Nineteen-year-old Victor Orji has been arrested by the police in Lagos for allegedly burning his 24-year-old lover to death over alleged infidelity.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning at G54 Army Post Service Housing Estate, Ojo, police said.
Orji, alleged to be a fraudster, was said to have poured petrol on his live-in lover Mariam Alabi after she spent time with another man on Thursday and Friday.
The suspect allegedly confessed that the N600,000 with which he rented their accommodation was part of proceeds of fraud, adding that he had been involved in such business for about three years.
According to the suspect, he had discovered through her phone when she returned on Friday that she went to see another man and not her father as she claimed.
He said the woman also left their home on Thursday to fix her hair but did not return till the following day, claiming she went to her father’s.
Orji who said he went through her phone and saw her chats, videos calls and nude pictures she sent to another man, claimed that she had agreed to stop prostitution when she moved into his place in March.
The convicted Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu, will continue to receive his salaries and all other entitlements while in prison, the Senate has said.
This is despite that he will not be performing any legislative function from prison.
The spokesperson of the Senate, Godiya Akwashiki, disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday.
He said despite the conviction, Mr Kalu remains a sitting senator and will be paid all of his entitlements in full.
He said until the case gets to Surpeme Court and a final judgement is given, Mr Kalu remains a serving lawmaker.
“He is still a senator. This is the first court. The matter is going to Supreme Court so, he still has the opportunity to appeal up to the Supreme Court level.
“Of course they will pay him. Because he is a sitting senator just like I said…if you file for appeal, you are still serving and so they will pay you.
“All his entitlements will be paid. There is no cause for alarm. In fact, even if Court of Appeal says they have upheld the judgement of the lower court, he still has the right to go to Supreme Court. So once the Supreme Court says, yes, the judgement is okay, then that’s the final,” he explained.
Earlier, Mr Akwashiki said Mr Kalu’s seat will not be declared vacant.
He explained that no provision in the constitution that says the seat of any senator facing prosecution or convicted at a lower court should be declared vacant.
Mr Kalu’s seat will not be declared vacant except he (Mr Kalu) has explored all the legal options available to him without success, he said.
“Even the tenure of a former governor Joshua Dariye, who has been in prison for some time now, ran its course until the end of the 8th National Assembly. Nobody declared his seat vacant.”
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced Mr Kalu to 12 years in prison after convicting him of N7.65 billion fraud.
Mr Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, was pronounced guilty of the charge in a trial that lasted for 12 years.
The conviction comes 12 years after the ex-governor was first arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2007 and was tried alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, who was Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House during Mr Kalu’s tenure as governor.
Anthony Joshua won his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr by unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia to reclaim his unified heavyweight titles and become a two-time world champion with a unanimous points victory over Andy Ruiz jr in a tense rematch in Saudi Arabia.
Six months on from the night Ruiz stunned boxing, Joshua risked seeing his career left in tatters with a second defeat, but served up 36 minutes of movement and well-timed punching to take the IBF, WBA and WBO titles back to Britain.
After cutting his Mexican rival inside the first round he never looked back and Joshua boxed intelligently throughout, picking out smart jabs and refusing to engage with his opponent at close quarters. He landed a fine left hook in the second and darted in and out of range at will, reaping the rewards of being at his lowest weight in over five years. Ruiz never looked close to landing a knockdown punch.
Joshua avoided the mistakes he made in his first fight with Ruiz, boxing stubbornly behind his jab in a clinical performance to win a wide points decision.
Two of the ringside judges scored the contest 118-110, with the other delivering a 119-109 verdict that saw Joshua win back his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight world titles.
“This is about boxing, I’m used to knocking guys out and last time I realised I hurt the man and I got caught coming in,” Joshua said immediately after his win.
“I had no excuses. So I wanted to put on a masterclass and show the sweet science of this sport, hitting and not getting hit.”
Joshua then suggested he would be open to a trilogy fight with Ruiz. “And – without a doubt – if you heard we’re going to do it a third.”
The first fight between the pair featured five dramatic knockdowns but – after a freak desert rain storm that briefly threatened some of the fights on the undercard – there was precious little drama at the Diriyah Arena.
There was a moment of hope for Ruiz when an accidental clash of heads opened up a cut above Joshua’s left eye, but the Mexican-American was consistently frustrated by the man he so sensationally beat in June. He did catch Joshua with a short hook in the eighth, but ended the fight desperately beckoning his rival to meet him in the centre of ring. To nobody’s surprise, a smirking Joshua declined his invitation.
Afterwards, Ruiz made the outrageous claim that he had not trained hard enough for his first world title defence.
“I gained too much weight,” he confessed in the ring after falling to his second professional defeat. “So let’s do it for a third time. I’ll be in the best shape of my life.
“But it affected me a lot, I thought I’d feel stronger. I tried to train myself, I don’t want to give excuses though. I couldn’t put together my combinations.”
However, after the fight Joshua appeared to dampen talk of an immediate rematch with Ruiz.
When asked where his career goes next, Joshua said: “I don’t know, I don’t want to talk too much. A big mouth is not what people respect. Whatever we can do, I will do.
“Let the fans decide. We are up for anything.
“I’m made for this stage. Look at this, a purpose built stadium for a purposeful night tonight.”
Joshua – who has followed in the footsteps of boxing luminaries including Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson in reclaiming the world heavyweight title – must now act quickly in deciding on his next opponent.
He has already been ordered by the WBO president to fight mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk within the next 180 days, while the Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev became the IBF mandatory challenger by defeating Hughie Fury in 2018.
Joshua could also decide to fight the winner of Deontay Wilder’s rematch with Tyson Fury for the WBC heavyweight title.
Omoyele Sowore the convener of #RevolutionNow has been re-arrested by men of State Security Services in a dramatic and flagrant disregard for court order. Men of State Security Operatives invaded the court premises while the court was still in session and presided by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu. Omoyele Sowore was re-arrested just hours after being freed on bail, in a case that has raised questions on human rights and freedom of speech in the country. No reason has been given for the arrest.
Sowore, who is the Publisher of US-based Sahara Reporters and a presidential aspirant in the just concluded general election was detained after calling for a nationwide demonstration against the government. He was charged with money treason, money laundering and insulting the president.
The DSS officials stormed a Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja while the Court was in session. Law and order broke down in the court room and during the chaos and scuffle that ensued, the Judge and Court staff fled for safety.
Despite being granted bail in October, authorities have continued to hold him, sparking an outcry from his supporters. His co-defendant Olawale Bakare is also in the custody of state security services.
Mr Falana, the Counsel for the defendant said outside the court room that what is happening now will not go away unchallenged,” Mr Falana told reporters. “We either run this country on the platform of the rule of law or we resort to gangsterism which is what is going on.” There is so far no comment from the DSS.
A Kaduna High Court on Thursday ordered the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to transfer the leader of the Shi’ite group, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat to the Nigerian Correctional Center, Kaduna to allow his lawyers and Doctors have easy access to him.
The order delivered by Justice Gideon Kurada was sequel to the application by Haruna Magashi, counsel to the IMN leader at the resumed hearing of the case in Kaduna, eight months after the last hearing of the case in April, 2019 before the IMN leader and wife went for an unsuccessful medical attention in India.
It would be recalled that the IMN leader and his wife were dragged to the court for alleged culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace among other charges in another court and has been in custody of the DSS since 2015.
Justice Kurada had on April 25 adjourned the trial of the IMN leader indefinitely to enable him serve on the panel of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Yobe.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, Magashi who stood in for the lead counsel to the IMN leader and his wife, Femi Falana (SAN), applied for his clients transfer to the Kaduna Prisons, now known as Correctional Center.
Former Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud, has suggested that he has a role to play in the national politics of 2023.
Kalu, who is the Senate’s Chief Whip smiled at reporters and said, ‘2023, here we come’ as he was led out of the courtroom by Correctional Services officials after his sentencing.
He was also seen asking prison warders, “where are you taking us to?”.
Kalu then begged the prison warders not to handcuff him in public.
The former governor, who appeared shaken, said, “Where are you taking us to now? Please don’t handcuff me. I will follow you.”
A federal high court in Abuja has granted Omoyele Sowore, convener of #RevolutionNow protest, bail.
The court released him to the custody of Femi Falana, his counsel, and asked that he deposit his international passport with the court registry within 48 hours.
While delivering a ruling on Tuesday, Taiwo Taiwo, the judge, said there was no longer a subsisting order holding the Sahara Reporters publisher in detention.
Unless something else happens, Omoyele Sowore, activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, would be breathing the fresh air of freedom after one month and 23 days in detention, thanks to a Federal High Court Abuja order on Tuesday that he should be freed.
Sowore, the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, was picked up by the Department of State Services (DSS) on August 2 in Lagos and has been in detention since then, after the secret service obtained an order that he should be detained for 45 days.
Freedom for the popular online publisher came against the backdrop of the prayer of the Federal Government through the DSS for his further detention for another 20 days, few days after he was slammed with several counts of charges bordering on treason, including insulting President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reprieve came to the vocal activist, who contested the last presidential election that took place on February 23 after the courts, which previously stood down the matter till 11am, eventually heard the arguments of his lawyer, Femi Falana on why he should be set free.
A federal high court in Lagos has convicted Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia state and chief whip of the senate of N7.1 billion fraud.
Mohammad Idris, the presiding judge, sentenced Kalu to 12 years in prison for money laundering.
The judge also ordered that Kalu’s company, Slok Nigeria Limited, be liquidated and its assets forfeited to the federal government.
Kalu stood trial on a 39-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The senator, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, a former director of finance and accounts in Abia were accused of diverting N7.65 billion from the purse of the state government.
He is also accused of illegally taking N460 million from Abia’s treasury.
“Slok Nigeria Limited – a company solely owned by you and members of your family – to retain in its account, domiciled with the then Inland Bank Plc, Apapa branch, Lagos, an aggregate sum of N7,197,871,208.7 on your behalf,” one of the charges filed against Kalu reads.
The offences are said to be in contravention of section 17(c) of the money laundering (prohibition) act, 2004.
In the course of the trial, the anti-graft agency argued that the defendants breached section 427 of the criminal code act, CAP 77, Laws of the federation 1990.
It called 19 witnesses to help establish its case.
Kalu’s corruption trial began in 2007, but the case suffered setbacks owing to legal spanner thrown into the works by the accused.
