Benue
The Benue State Police Command last Tuesday arraigned a 32-year-old man, Raphael Tyokua, over alleged criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms, house breaking and theft.
Tyokua was arraigned before a Makurdi Upper Area Court 2.
According to the prosecutor, Mrs Omaye Ujeta, one Kputu Orya, who resides behind ‘E’ Division Police Station, Makurdi, reported the matter at ‘E’ Division Station, Makurdi.
Ujeta quoted Orya as saying that Tyokua, a resident of Anta village, Makurdi conspired with two others still at large, broke into his office at Aggo School, along Abua King Shuluwa Road, Akpehe in Benue, and robbed him.
She further quoted Orya as saying that the accused and his accomplices entered into the office through the ceiling, and stole two hp laptops with their chargers, valued at N110,000 and N45,000 cash.

FCT
An FCT Area Court Judge, Abubakar Sadiq, last Tuesday sentenced a driver, Mubarack Umar, to eight months imprisonment for stealing a tricycle.
The court sentenced Umar, 23 of Galadimawa village, Abuja, after he pleaded guilty to a count charge of theft.
The court, however, gave him N40,000 option of fine.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Dalhatu Zannah, had told the court that on July 4, one Ayuba Musa of Kado Life Camp, Abuja, reported the incident at the Utako Police Station.
Zannah said that Musa reported the matter for proper investigation which led to the arrest of the convict.
According to Zannah, the convict committed the offence on July 3 at about 10 p.m. along Obafemi Awolowo expressway, Jabi.

Gombe
Farmers in Gombe State have commended the state government for its procurement and sale of fertiliser at subsidised rates to farmers in the lead up to the 2017 farming season.
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo recently announced that a bag of NPK fertiliser would be sold at N4,800 and a bag of Urea fertiliser at N5,800, as against their prevailing market prices of N8,500 and N5,800 respectively.
Some of the farmers, who spoke to newsmen in Gombe last Tuesday, expressed delight at the development.
One of the farmers, Malam Bala Garba, said that the subsidy came at the right time, particularly when many farmers were in dire need of fertiliser for their crop to grow.
Garba said that the gesture would boost their productivity and promote the food security of the state and the country at large.

Jigawa
The Jigawa State Government says it has treated over 29,000 cases of acute malnutrition in children in the last six months.
The State Nutrition Officer, Mr Saidu Umar, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Jos at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s mid-year review meeting.
Reports say that the review meeting organised by the UNICEF Field Office in Bauchi was aimed at reviewing the UNICEF’s activities in various sectors working in Plateau and Jigawa States.
Umar said that the treatment was carried out in 64 Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centres in 12 local government areas of the state.

Kwara
The Kwara State Government says it spent N360 million in subsidising  farm inputs given to  farmers  under the  N1 billion  Agriculture Intervention Scheme.
The Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Mr Bamidele Adegoke, said this in Ilorin on Tuesday while presenting seedlings and other inputs  to members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
He said that the state government would also support farmers in  land clearing and ploughing of about 2,500 hectares of land in different parts of the state under its Off-takers Demand Driven Agric Scheme.
The commissioner said the state government was committed  to  diversifying  the state’s economy by  creating  agro-allied jobs and provision of  input for industries.

Lagos
The Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency(NiMet), Prof. Sani Mashi, has faulted calls in some quarters for the creation of a separate and parallel Climate Change Agency (CCA).
Mashi, who made this known while speaking with newsmen in Lagos last Tuesday, said the establishment of such body would amount to a duplication of functions already being carried out by NiMet.
He said NiMet was established by an Act of Parliament in 2003, to provide weather services in marine, environmental and bio-meteorology for climatic and human health activities.
According to him, all stakeholders were in agreement that it had been carrying out this role both effectively and efficiently, and therefore, saw no reason for the creation of a new body with similar functions.

Nasarawa
A 27-year-old applicant, Maria John, was last Tuesday arraigned in an Upper Area Court, Masaka, Nasarawa State, for allegedly aborting a six-week-old pregnancy.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Frank Swem, told court that the accused committed the offence on July 7, at about 6.30 p.m., in Akwango, Masaka.
Swem said that the matter was reported by the accused’s boyfriend, Kingsley Ephraim, at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Masaka, on the same date.
He also said Ephraim told the police that his girlfriend (Maria), who was six weeks pregnant for him, told him that she had aborted the pregnancy.

Niger
A Magistrates’ Court in Minna last Tuesday sentenced a 25-year-old security guard, Musa Isah, to three months imprisonment for stealing N500 from an accident victim.
Isah was arraigned on a count charge of theft, contrary to Section 287 of the Penal Code.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Gunduma Ibrahim, told court that the convict, residing at M.I. Wushishi Estate in Minna committed the offence on July 15 at about 4 p.m.
Ibrahim said the convict went to a fatal accident scene in Minna under the guise of rescuing the victims.

Ogun
The Police in Ogun State last Tuesday brought eight men before an Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ota, for allegedly belonging to a secret cult called ‘EYE’ Confraternity.
The accused persons were: Adewale Ibrahim (23), Ajasa Olalekan (28), Adams Ahmed (28), Ojeniyi Michael (29), Remilekun Subaru (27), Oyelumade Gbenro (29), Ezra Jackson (24), and Akinyelu Kunle (26).
According to the Prosecutor, Cpl. Mustapha Abdulkareem, the accused persons, with no fixed addresses, are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawfully belonging to a secret cult.
The prosecutor told the court that the accused persons, and others still at large, committed the offences on July 13, at about 3.00 a.m. at Ilogbo, Ota.

Ondo
A 48-year-old security guard, Sola Ikumapayi, was last Tuesday in Okitipupa, Ondo State, discharged and acquitted of the offence of assaulting and injuring his son after hitting him with a glass cup.
An Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court which gave the ruling, however, fined him N20,000.
The Magistrate, Mr Banji Ayeomoni, warned the accused to refrain from committing such criminal act in future.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault brought against him.
Earlier, Police Prosecutor Zedekiah Orogbemi told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 12 at 8.00 a.m. at Akinloye Estate, Okitipupa.
According to Orogbemi, the accused threw a glass cup at his son, who was running away from him following a squabble.

Plateau
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has advised media content managers to be very wary of what they sent out to the public as that would determine Nigeria’s direction.
Mohammed, in a speech at the National Broadcasting Commission’s 2017 Summit, last Tuesday in J0s, said that media content was like food in the body.
“Food is a necessity, but not every food is good for the body.
“It is often said that we are what we eat. Junk food is unhealthy for our health.
“It follows, therefore, that junk information is not good for our health, stability and growth as a nation.
“Content managers must thus be very sensitive; they must always weigh the possible impact of what they broadcast or publish, to the stability and development of our country,” he said.

Sokoto
A committee set up by the Sokoto State Government to verify the actual number of students entitled to its scholarship says it has uncovered 706 “ghost” students.
Its Chairman, Mr Shehu Wurno, announced this on Tuesday in Sokoto, when he presented the committee’s report to Governor Aminu Tambuwal.
Wurno said that the committee visited 40 tertiary institutions within and outside the country where it verified and confirmed 14,532 students as  qualified for the scholarship.
“We have also confirmed that N544,613,724 is the total cost of students registration for the year 2016/2017 academic session, while N143,560,855 is the allowances to the verified students.
“We have also verified and confirmed that N688,174,579 is the actual amount owed as students registration and allowances for the current 2016/2017 session,” he said.
Tambuwal, who thanked the committee for its efforts, restated his administration’s resolve to give top priority to the education sector.