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Serial fraudster jailed for defrauding retired Army General N180m
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja has convicted and sentenced Mohammed Sani Zubair, pictured above, to two years imprisonment.
A statement by the EFCC’s Head, Media & Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said Mr Zubair, a serial fraudster was first arraigned on October 8, 2020, on 4-count charges bordering on fraudulent dealings.
He was alleged to be a member of a syndicate, that specialized in defrauding people.
According to the statement, Mr Zubair allegedly defrauded a retired Army General to the tune of N180,000,000.
One of the counts read:
“That you, Mohammed Sanni Zubair on or about October 2016, in Abuja, within the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did make a statement to Naziru Aminu Shehu, an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, in the course of the exercise of the duties of his office, contained in your written statement dated 28th October, 2016, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 39 (2) (a) and (b) of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004”.
He pleaded “not guilty” when the charges were read to him.
Based on his plea, prosecution counsel, Richards Dauda, prayed for an accelerated hearing of the matter.
Defence counsel, O. F Ekengba did not oppose the prayers. The trial lasted four years with the prosecution counsel presenting many witnesses.
Justice Ojukwu, however, gave the convict an option of fine of N400,000.
Mr Zubair’s journey to the Correctional Centre started when children of one Major General Geoffrey Ejiga (retd) petitioned the EFCC alleging that a syndicate of fraudsters took advantage of their father’s old age to defraud him of over N180, 000,000.
The EFCC investigated the matter and found out that Zubair was involved in several other fraudulent dealings. He was eventually prosecuted and convicted by the court.
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Traditional healer who burnt his girlfriend alive found guilty of murder
A South African traditional healer who burnt his girlfriend alive and stabbed her while she was alight, was found guilty of murder on Monday, May 16.
Thapelo Ramoruki, 29, was convicted in the North West high court, sitting at Mogwase regional court.
In addition to the murder conviction, he was found guilty of pointing a firearm. He was acquitted on a charge of kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm.
It is alleged that on January 12 2021, Ramoruki, together with his girlfriend Tsholofelo Tsheko, their one-month-old baby and Tsheko’s younger brother drove to Sandfontein cemetery to perform a ritual for their child.
He took with him petrol, a pellet gun, a knife and traditional beer.
After performing the ritual, they moved to a nearby dam to cleanse themselves before going home.
“Upon arrival at the dam, Ramoruki pointed a gun at himself, then later pointed it at Tsheko and ordered her to hand over the baby to her younger brother,” said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Henry Mamothame.
“He instructed the brother to wait in the car. He then poured petrol over Tsheko and set her alight. He went on to stab her in the abdomen several times while she was burning,”
Ramoruki was arrested on the scene. Tsheko was taken to Moses Kotane Hospital but died the next day.
Ramoruki is to be sentenced on Wednesday, May 18.
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Kim Kardashian, Ciara, Maye Musk, and Yumi Nu cover Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has revealed the cover of its 2022 edition.
The cover features Kim Kardashian, singer Ciara, veteran model Maye Musk and recording artist Yumi Nu.
Kim graced the front magazine rocking her SKIMS brand for the cover.
Ciara looked stunning in her swimsuit.
In an interview with the magazine, Kim shared how excited but shocked she is to be on the cover at her age.
Kim said: “I vividly remember Tyra Banks on the cover and women with curves. I remember just thinking, That was cool. That was cool!”
Kardashian says in a sit-down video interview for the new issue. “But I still didn’t think that I would ever— I thought you had to be a professional model and a runway model.”
She adds, “And it’s always really young girls. I don’t wanna date myself or sound old, but in my 40s? Like, that’s crazy. I never thought in a million years that I would be shooting one myself.”
MJ Day, editor-in-chief of SI Swimsuit, said in a statement to People, “The journey we’ve been on — to break out of the mould the world put us in — may sound familiar. It’s certainly familiar to the women we’ve chosen to be our cover models: Maye, Ciara, Yumi, Kim.
“Of course, Kim, no stranger to the world’s judgment, continues to live proudly, authentically, and unapologetically through the noise.”
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Sweden announces it will apply to join NATO
The Swedish government has confirmed it intends to apply for membership of Nato, joining neighboring Finland in a similar decision following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to date.
“There is a broad majority in Sweden’s parliament for Sweden to join Nato,” said the prime minister, Magdalena Andersson. “This is the best thing for the security of Sweden and its people … We are leaving one era behind us and entering a new one.”
Andersson told reporters after a parliamentary debate on Monday that Sweden would be “in a vulnerable position” while the application was processed, but that ministers saw no direct military threat from Russia at present.
Before the announcement, Stockholm had received security assurances from key partners, including the US, Britain, Germany, and France, she said, and on Monday Denmark, Norway and Iceland also pledged support, saying they would “assist Finland and Sweden, by all means, necessary” if they were attacked before obtaining Nato membership.
However, the government “can’t exclude that we will be subjected, for example, to disinformation and attempts to scare and divide us”, Andersson said, adding that if its application was approved, Sweden would not want permanent Nato military bases or nuclear weapons on its territory.
The decisions by the two Nordic governments drew an initial response from Moscow.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said the countries “should have no illusions that we will simply put up with it”, calling the move “another grave mistake with far-reaching consequences” and warning that the “general level of military tension will increase”.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, later said Moscow did not see Finnish and Swedish Nato membership as a direct threat in itself. “Russia has no problem with these states – none,” Putin said.
“And so in this sense there is no immediate threat to Russia from an expansion of Nato to include these countries,” he said. He warned, however, that deployment of military infrastructure on their territories “would certainly provoke our response”.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, also said Moscow would “follow very carefully what will be the consequences” of the Nordic nations’ move “for our security, which must be ensured in an absolutely unconditional manner”.
This comes after the Finnish government confirmed its intention to join Nato on Sunday, shortly before Andersson’s ruling Social Democrats abandoned decades of opposition to back a Swedish bid for membership, making Monday’s Riksdag debate a formality.
Russia has previously advised both countries against joining Nato, saying such a move would oblige it to “restore military balance” by strengthening its defences in the Baltic Sea region, including by deploying nuclear weapons.
