A man stands outside his destroyed home in Baga, Borno State, Nigeria, following heavy fighting between military forces from Nigeria, Niger and Chad, and Boko Haram. Photo: IRIN/Aminu Abubakar

Members of Boko Haram and other extremist groups in Nigeria, could face war crimes charges for deliberate acts leading to ethnic and religious cleansing, the UN has said.

Rupert Colvile, the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said this in a statement made available at the UN Head quarters in New York on Friday.

He reiterated calls on Boko Haram and other extremist groups in Nigeria to cease their “cowardly attacks” against civilians, members of government institutions, security forces and foreign nationals.

“The High Commissioner noted that members of Boko Haram, if judged to have committed systematic attacks against a civilian population on grounds such as religion or ethnicity could be found guilty of crimes against humanity.

“Deliberate acts leading to population `cleansing’ on grounds of religion or ethnicity could also amount to a crime against humanity,” Colville stressed.

In recent weeks, more than 220 people have been killed in violent clashes between military forces and the Islamist group, Boko Haram.

OHCHR has urged the Nigerian government to abide by human rights principles during security patrols.

The rights body also said it was concerned about the large number of casualties, reportedly including many civilians, and massive destruction of houses and property.

Colville urged the government to ensure that international human rights law was respected during its emergency operations.

Similarly the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon had said he remained very concerned about the ongoing instability in the country.

He underscored the need for all concerned to fully respect human rights and to safeguard the lives of all Nigerians. (NAN)

Two employers of Barewa Pharmaceutical Company Ltd were on Friday sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

Adeyemo Abiodun and Ebele Eromosele were found guilty for the production of a killer syrup ‘my pikin’.

The company and its employees were charged  on an amended six-count charge resulting from the production of a drug which has been confirmed as a health hazard.

Trial judge, Justice Okechukwu Okeke in his judgement, convicted the accused on two counts, while he acquitted them of four.

Justice Okechukwu also ordered the company to be wound up, with its assets forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Ace guitarist, Fatoke Abiodun, 62, who played alongside music icon, King Sunny Ade at a time, was on Tuesday sentenced to three years imprisonment for drug trafficking at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Abiodun had pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful exportation of 1.575kg of cocaine during his arraignment on February 26, 2013.

Prior to the judgment, defence counsel, Mr. Bayo Onifade, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as Abiodun was a husband of three wives with 12 children.

In his judgement however, Justice S. Seidu sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment with effect from the date of arrest.

In his words, “The appeal of the defence counsel has been taken into consideration and the fact that the convict pleaded guilty as charged without wasting the time of the court was also carefully considered.”

The convict had been nabbed by men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on January 1, 2013, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy.

During a search, two parcels of cocaine weighing 1.575kg were found hidden in his luggage.

The body of 78-year-old Lucy Osigweh declared missing in 2003 has been discovered by the Imo State Police Command Owerri.

Speaking on the incident yesterday, state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Katsina, disclosed that the woman’s lifeless body was found in a large cupboard inside a shrine located in her son’s private room.

Katsina said: “The missing woman’s lifeless body was found in a village called Ezuru Umuagwu, Ejemekwuru, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.”

According to him, “The embalmed body, which was kept in that condition for about 10 years, was believed to have been placed in the warehouse by her son, Chief Chimezie Osigweh, a 64-year-old retired school principal.”

The Commissioner of Police the principal suspect, Chief Chimezie Osigweh, who is the son of the woman, has been arrested and is making useful statement to the police.

The Imo police boss said there was every reason to believe that the late woman’s son is a member of a sect, adding that there were rumors and a preliminary assessment of the scene of crime revealed that the late woman could have been murdered by her son for ritual purpose.

A villager, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, said that angered by the unresolved and inexplicable disappearance of their relation from her marital home, some villagers decided to double check earlier stories bandied by Osigweh.

According to a villager, “on getting to Ejemekwuru, our people demanded to know why their relations had remained missing for 10 years. Her son told our villagers that his mother was mad at a point and ran away to unknown place.

Unknown gunmen have abducted a Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Pius Chuka Manyaike with the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, FETHA, on Sunday.

According to reports the doctor was kidnapped at a private hospital in Abakaliki by two gunmen carrying AK 47 rifles who drove in a black coloured BMW car. The security man, identified as Peter was shot dead when he tried to stop the gunmen from gaining entry into the premises.

Ebonyi state Police Public Relations officer, Sylvester Igbo confirmed the incident.

According to Igbo, five empty shells of AK 47 were picked at the scene of the crime as efforts have begun to track down the culprits.

Meanwhile the Ebonyi Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have said its members have withdrawn their services in all government and private hospitals in the state to protest the kidnap of Dr. Maiyike.

The state NMA Chairman, Dr. Chidi Esike, said at a press conference in Abakaliki on Monday that the doctors could not continue to operate under an unsafe and insecure environment.

“We shall, however, resume our services immediately our colleague is released by the kidnappers. The kidnappers should know that doctors do humanitarian work and are not wealthy.

“During this period, there will be no skeletal services by the doctors. It is a pity that doctors now work under siege,” he said.

Ex-governor of Delta state, Chief James Ibori, on Thursday lost an appeal at the Court of Appeal of England and Wales to reduce his lengthy prison sentence.

In April 2012, Justice Anthony Pitts of the Southwark Crown Court had handed Ibori a 13-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to money laundering and fraud.

Reports say Ibori’s legal team had based their appeal argument on a verbal hint in the judge’s chamber between Justice Pitts and the defence lawyers that Ibori would not get more than 10 years if he pleaded guilty to the charges filed against him.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Court of Appeal Justices led by a respected and no-nonsense Lord Justice Brian Henry Levesonscheduled to hear the appeal were replaced with another set that sat briefly today to hear the counsels from both sides address the court.

In his ruling, Lord Justice Edward-Stuart, said Pitts? hints on a sentence limit was not “emphatic enough’ for a successful appeal.
It added that albeit the defence had ‘legitimate expectations’ based on Pitts’ hint’, he did not commit to a 10-year jail term for the defendant if he entered a guilty plea.

Ibori is due for release sometime in 2016.

Sunday Ehiemere 40, Glory Okoro 37, Onyedi Isaac and Promise Enang, 25 are among the nine-member certificate forging syndicate recently arrested by the Abia State branch of the State Security Services.

The group, it was gathered, hold instant NECO examination for their clients, and immediately issue them with certificates on the spot.

Abia State Director of the SSS, Mr Mathew Obodoechi, who disclosed this to journalists in Umuahia, said the suspected fraudsters demand a payment of N30,000 for NECO examination.

He added that interrogations revealed candidates are made to pay different sums at several stages, N2,000 to collect the form, N6,000 exam fee, N5,000 processing fee, and an additional N2,000 is for a tee shirt, after which an oath will be administered.

Obodoechi said investigations commenced when his men received a report of suspected fraudsters operating as officials of Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC, attached to Federal Teachers Scheme FTS.

Over 300 fake documents were recovered from the raid

A former police officer, Kelvin Ighodalo has been sentenced to 45-year imprisonment by an Osogbo High Court for stealing a N50, 000 Sony Ericsson phone belonging to Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Mr. Ighodalo had stolen the phone from the Governors pocket on November 27, 2010, when he was being inaugurated at Government Technical College, Osogbo.

The case was presided over by Justice Oyejide Falola, who found the accused guilty on six counts, which included conspiracy, stealing and fraud.

Justice Falola thereafter sentenced Mr Ighodalo to 10-year imprisonment for the first three counts and five years for each of the last three which included impersonation, obtaining property by falsehood and collusion.

The Judge explained that the convict deserved the sentence and held that the convict used the phone to obtain N500, 000 from the Owa of Ilesa, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, while he obtained N200, 000 from Shengen Rahman, an associate of the governor.

Mr. Ighodalo will run the jail term concurrently and so will only spend a total of 10 years in prison.

A Court in Kwara state has found a cleric Kunle Odafe guilty of defiling an under aged girl.

Pastor Kunle was arrested and arraigned on April 12 on a one-count charge of gross indecent act to which he pleaded guilty.

He was ordered to be remanded in Omu-Aran Medium Prison by the judge, Fagbemi Adeyemi, for the police to conclude their investigation.

Adeyemi said the pastor’s action was despicable, adding that Odafe ought to be an exemplary leader and a role model.

The Omu-Aran Upper Area Court set bail at N50, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till May 7 for sentencing.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Fabiyi Abiodun, told the court that Odafe, attached to St. Moses Orimolade C &S Movement Church, Omu-Aran, committed the act between April 2 and April 9.

He said one Olajide of Obagunke Area, Omu-Aran, had on April 3 reported that a 12-year-old girl was missing.

Abiodun said police investigation led to the discovery of the girl in the custody of Odafe, who also confessed to have had unlawful carnal knowledge of the minor.

Son to the kidnapped 90-year-old Musa Adisa, former President of the Master Bakers Association of Nigeria has said the kidnappers have demanded ransom.

Musbau Iyiola, speaking with newsmen in Akure said his father  Musa Adisa was abducted by three armed men last Tuesday while on his way to the mosque to observe his early morning prayer.

Iyiola said the kidnappers called him on telephone to open a negotiation, noted that till their last conversation, both parties did not reached any agreement.

The son who is the new president of the association, however, appealed to the state police command to assist the family in securing the release of his father.

“They called me and demanded N30 million, and where would I get that amount from?” Iyiola stated.

Police Spokesperson, Wole Ogodo has said that the command was on the trail of the kidnappers and would soon apprehend them.

“We are working round the clock, we are on top of the situation, we are making serious efforts to track down the perpetrators and get the old man liberated” Ogodo said

He also assured that the police command would not relent in its efforts to arrest the perpetrators of the crime in the state.