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2 in court over attempted rape
By Richard P. Ngbokai
Two persons have been arraigned before an Abuja Grade 1 Area Court sitting in Karmo for complicity in an alleged attempt to rape a girl who resides behind Air Force quarters, Abuja.
The suspects identified as Adekola Oluwakare, Ezekiel Katung and one Friday now at large, were arraigned under sections 79 and 95 of the penal code for joint act and attempted rape.
The prosecutor A.Z. Dalhatu told the court that the alleged crime was committed on Thursday July 14 , when Friday, currently at large, forcefully entered into the complainant’s room shortly after she had come out of the bathroom and was yet to dress up.
According to the prosecutor, the complainant alleged that one of the accused persons (Friday) grabbed her waist trying to rape her while his friends stood outside monitoring what would happen to her in spite of her call for help.
The prosecutor added that the complainant managed to survive the attempt when she used a cutlass and injured the suspect on his head and hand.
The prosecutor had earlier stated that Friday came from Kado to visit his friends Adekola and Ezekiel at behind Air Force quarters where they jointly committed the alleged crime.
When the charges were read to the accused persons they pleaded not guilty and were released on bail by the presiding judge Abubakar Sadiq in the sum of N10, 000 each with a surety within the court’s jurisdiction and the case was adjourned to August 10.
FEMA distributes relief materials to IDPs
By Taiwo Adeniyi
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has distributed relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the territory.
FEMA’s spokesperson, Josephine Mudasiru said more than 15, 000 displaced persons benefited from the distribution that took place at three different IDP camps in the territory on Saturday.
Mudasiru, who also headed one of the teams that shared the relief materials while addressing journalist at the IDP camp in Sunshine Estate, Apo, explained that food and non-food items were distributed to the IDPs.
She said though three camps were given food items, the non-food items which included mattresses, blankets, toiletries, mats, and mosquito nets would be distributed to all the 31 IDP camps in the territory.
“In the past we gave the items to their leaders but reports reached us that some of the items did not get to the individuals and that is why we are sharing it to individual households,” she said.
She said plans are in advanced stage to relocate willing displaced persons to their home states.
The leader of the displaced persons at the Sunshine Estate, Chakule A. Lawan, commended the government for the initiatives adding that it would help in making living easier for the displaced persons.
He appealed to the government to fasttrack the relocation plans as, according to him, most of the displaced persons at the camp prefer to return to their various villages and not another camp in the north east.
Candido inaugurates economic advisory c’ttee
Taiwo Adeniyi
The chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abdullahi Adamu Candido has inaugurated a 15-man economic advisory to boost the council’s economic drive and also ensure that resources
are properly harnessed.
Inaugurating the committee, Candido said the move was to enhance the council’s rapid and inclusive development.
He urged the committee members to do everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that AMAC generates resources outside the statutory federal allocation.
He said the mandate of delivering good governance to the people of AMAC cannot be achieved without enough resources.
He said, “We cannot just sit down and keep asking where are the resources? Because resources are in abundance.”
While describing the committee as the most critical he had set up since assuming office, he said the members must ensure that civil servants are paid regularly and that the electorate are not shortchanged.
“You have a huge task before you. That’s why I see this
body as the most important of all committees under my leadership. You are at liberty to bow out at any time if you cannot do it,” he said.