Crime
Court Remands Judges, Cashiers, Registrars And Other Court Staff Over Alleged N500m Theft.
A cashier with the Kano State Sharia Court Division, Hussaina Imam, and 14 others including judges and registrars were on Wednesday evening arraigned and remanded in a correctional centre for allegedly committing offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, joint act, criminal breach of trust by public servants, theft and forgery.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The offences run contrary to Sections 97, 79, 315 and 289 of the Penal Code Law.
When the case came up on Wednesday before Chief Magistrate Mustapha Sa’ad Datti, the prosecution counsel, Zaharaddeen Mata, prayed the court to grant him leave for the content of the First Information Report be read to the defendants, pursuant to Section 129 (7) of Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2019 of Kano State.
According to the FIR, “On 20th August, 2021 an official complaint was received at the Kano State Public Complain and Anti-Corruption Commission from Kano State ministry of justice, that sometimes ago in the year 2020/2021 you Bashir Ali Kurawa “M”, Saadatu Umar “f”, Tijjani Abdullahi “m”, Maryam Jibrin Garba “f”, Shamsu Sani “m” and you Hussaina Iman “f” you committed an offence of criminal conspiracy in which you Hussaina Imam used your official position as cashier in the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal and conspired with the aforementioned persons and one Suleiman “m” (now at large) and forged the letterhead papers/sheets of Sharia Court of Appeal, forged the signatures of the two signatories to the Stanbic IBTC bank account 0020667440 belonging to Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal and stole money to the tune of four hundred and eighty four million, sixty seven thousand, three hundred and twenty seven naira and seven Kobo (N484,067,327:07) by fraudulently authorising the bank to transfer the said amount to various bank accounts without the knowledge and/or consent of the authorised body/persons.
Similarly, in another separate charge, the defendants were arraigned for the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, joint act, criminal breach of trust by a public servant and theft by a clerk or servant contrary to Sections 97, 79, 315 and 289 of Penal Code.
“That on 29th August, 2021, an official complaint was received by the Commission from Kano State Ministry of Justice, that sometime ago in the year 2018 to 2021 you Sani Ali Muhammad “m”, Sani Buba Aliyu “m”, Bashir Baffa “m”, Garzali Wada “m”, Hadi Tijjani Mu’azu “m”, Alkasim Abdullahi “m”, Yusuf Abdullahi “m”, Mustapha Bala Ibrahim “m”, Jafar Ahmad “m”, Adamu Balarabe “m”, Aminu Abdulkadir “m”, Abdullahi Suleiman Zango “m”, Garba Yusuf “m”, Bashir Ali Kurawa “m” and you Hussaina Imam “f” criminally conspired, breached the trust in you as a public servant, acted jointly and create 15 fake civil servants’ death benefit files and fraudulently siphoned funds to the tune of ninety six million, two hundred and fifty thousand naira (N96,250,000.00) that was remitted by the Kano State Pension Fund Trustee to the bank accounts of Kano State Sharia Court Appeal and stole the said amount through eight Sharia Courts under the Kano State Sharia Court Appeal without the consent and knowledge of the authorising authority.” The First Information Report Reads.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Meanwhile, counsel representing them applied for the court to admit the defendants on bail.
In their separate submissions, Garzali Datti Ahmad, Sani Yakubu Ibrahim, Mubarak Mai Wada, Bashir Ahmad and Mustapha Hussein urged the court to exercise its jurisdiction judicially and judiciously.
They argued that the application was brought pursuant to Sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (1999 as amended) and Sections 168 and 172 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2019 of Kano.
In his response to the bail applications by the defense counsels, Mata urged the court to consider the huge amount involved in the case while granting the bail.
“Considering the huge amount involved in the alleged crime, we urge the court pursuant to section 175 of ACJL 2019 to order the defendants to deposit some amount of money or valued property as security.
The trial Magistrate, Mustapha Sa’ad Datti, adjourned the case to February 1, 2023, for hearing and ordered the remand of all the defendants in the correctional centre.
According to Nivo News, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) welcomed 5,000 new members in Abia State on Saturday, following the recent entry of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, into the party.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The mass defection was led by Bishop Emeka Nwankpa, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Accord Party, in his hometown of Umuaku, Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area. Supporters who joined him also left their former political affiliations, including the South East Mandate for Good Governance, to align with the ADC.
Nwankpa explained that his decision to join the ADC was driven by a strong conviction, noting that the party’s manifesto resonates with his political philosophy, emphasizing people-oriented governance, social justice, and sustainable development. He described the ADC as a credible, progressive platform capable of fostering inclusive governance and rebuilding public trust in Nigerian politics.
The Abia State Chairman of the ADC, Don Norman Obinna, formally welcomed Nwankpa and his followers, stating that the country’s political trajectory is increasingly favoring the ADC.
The Abia State Police Command has reported the arrest of 809 suspects and the recovery of 88 firearms in 438 cases across the state from January 2025 to date.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to Nivo News, Commissioner of Police Danladi Isa provided the update on Friday during a briefing at his office, outlining the operational strategies and achievements of the Command during the period under review. He disclosed that 435 rounds of ammunition were recovered from suspected criminals and that over 200 suspects have been successfully prosecuted, with several jailed for various offenses.
The CP further revealed that 33 children who had been kidnapped or trafficked were rescued within and outside the state, with the suspects involved prosecuted and some already imprisoned. “We have sent a lot of people to jail. A clear message has been passed that it is no longer business as usual for criminals in Abia State,” Isa stated.
He highlighted that the state’s crime rate has declined under his leadership, attributing the success to support from Governor Alex Otti, provision of logistics, and collaboration with community stakeholders. Isa also noted that officers encountered non-state actors on several occasions, who were neutralized and disarmed.
The Police Commissioner urged residents to continue providing credible information on suspicious activities to further strengthen the fight against crime. Firearms and other weapons recovered from suspects were displayed at the Police headquarters in Umuahia for the media.
According to Nivo News, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC) has arrested high-profile cybercrime suspects linked to a sophisticated Microsoft 365 phishing operation that targeted the email systems of major corporate organisations.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The arrests followed actionable intelligence received from Microsoft Corporation in the United States through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which exposed the deployment of an advanced phishing toolkit known as RaccoonO365. The toolkit was designed to create counterfeit Microsoft login pages capable of harvesting user credentials and unlawfully accessing corporate, financial, and educational email platforms.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that the cybercrime centre launched a coordinated, intelligence-led operation in partnership with Microsoft, the FBI, and the United States Secret Service. He explained that investigations traced multiple cases of unauthorised Microsoft 365 account access recorded between January and September 2025 to phishing emails crafted to closely mimic legitimate Microsoft authentication portals.
According to police findings, the cyberattacks resulted in business email compromise, data breaches, and significant financial losses across several jurisdictions. Acting on precise intelligence, NPF–NCCC operatives conducted targeted operations in Lagos and Edo states, leading to the arrest of three suspects. Searches carried out at their residences yielded laptops, mobile phones, and other digital devices, which forensic analysis directly linked to the fraudulent activities.
Further investigations identified Okitipi Samuel, also known by the aliases “RaccoonO365” and “Moses Felix,” as the principal suspect and alleged developer of the phishing infrastructure. Police said he operated a Telegram channel through which phishing links were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and hosted fake login portals on Cloudflare using stolen or fraudulently obtained email credentials.
The police clarified that there was no evidence connecting the two other arrested individuals to the creation or management of the phishing scheme. The Nigeria Police Force reiterated its commitment to protecting the country’s digital environment through the use of advanced technology, enhanced international cooperation, and thorough investigative and prosecutorial processes aimed at combating evolving cyber threats.
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