Deborah Onyofufeke
The Federal High Court, Abuja, has discharged and acquitted the Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited and an ally of former Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke Jide Omokore, of fraud. 

The court, however, convicted Omokore’s co-accused, Victor Briggs and Abiye Membere for receiving car gifts, an offence contrary to Section 98 of the Criminal Code Act. 

Delivering judgment on the alleged $1.6 billion fraud charge levelled against the defendant, the trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt against Omokore. 

The judge held that the prosecution failed to establish the offence of obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy, fraud, and conversion levelled against Omokore.

He subsequently discharged and acquitted him. 

The judge, however, found Briggs and Membere guilty of official corruption under Section 98 of the Criminal Code Act and convicted them of the same.

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The judge said Briggs and Membere collected car gifts, which they admitted to in their extra judicial statements. 

Justice Dimgba said being public officials, he was satisfied that the way they received the car gifts was unethical. He ordered that the convicts be remanded in EFCC custody pending their sentencing today.

The offence of public corruption under Section 98 of the Criminal Code Act attracts a seven-year jail term.

The defendants were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 15-count charge on July 4, 2016.

They were alleged to have fraudulently diverted about $1.6 alleged to be part of proceeds of sales of petroleum products belonging to the Federal Government.

Accidental NAF air strikes kill over 300 civilians in five years –Report

The SBM Intelligence has reported that over 300 civilians were killed by accidental airstrikes by the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) in five years.

According to a report released by the SBM Intelligence on Monday, February 6, with the title, ‘Chart of the Week: Nigeria Air Force Mishaps’, airstrikes that caused the death of over 300 people have been carried out by the Nigerian Air Force in pursuit of terrorists.

The report listed Borno, Niger, Yobe, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina as the states affected by the accidental airstrikes.

According to the report, two neighbouring communities in Niger Republic and Lake Chad were also affected  by NAF airstrikes in September 2021 and February 2022, respectively.

“At least 20 people said to be fishermen were killed in a NAF airstrike that occurred in Kwatar Daban Masara in Lake Chad.

“NAF airstrike targeting bandits killed seven children and wounded five others by mistake in Nachade Village, Niger Republic,” the report said.

The report further noted that the NAF failed to acknowledge the airstrikes.

The SBM Intelligence also observed that the Air Force failed to carry out comprehensive investigations and compensate victims’ families.

“Since 2017, more than 300 people have been killed in airstrikes carried out by the Nigerian Air Force in pursuit of terrorists. Within the last two years, the instances of such ‘mistakes’ have soared, but sadly with limited acknowledgement from the Air Force.

It has also failed to carry out comprehensive investigations and has not paid compensation to victims families. Late January’s airstrikes on herders in Nasarawa continued the pattern of impunity that has come to colour military operations in Nigeria,” the report said.

Among incidents listed in the report, IBM Intelligence noted that a Nigeria Air Force jet mistakenly bombed an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp near the Cameroonian border in Rann, Borno State, resulting in the death of at least 115 persons and more than 100 injured.

The report also noted that a total of 12 airstrikes were carried out within the last two years in the country.

The ICIR earlier reported that the Nasarawa State Police Command is yet to identify those responsible for the airstrike that claimed the lives of more than 30 herders at the Nasarawa-Benue  border.

“I can confirm that there was an airstrike at Kwateri village, Nasarawa/Benue border. 

Twenty-seven corpses were recovered. Security have been deployed to the area and investigation has since commenced. We are yet to know who carried out the airstrike,” spokesperson of the Command Ramhan Nansel said in an interview with The ICIR.