WALLEX DAY 2024: A Celebration of Compassion and Community Support

Solanke Ayomideji Taiwo

In a heartwarming display of generosity and community spirit, Chief Lawal Eniola Adewale Lawal, CEO of Wallex Estate Global Services, marked Wallex Day 2024 by facilitating the release of six inmates from the Ilaro Corrections Center. This significant event took place in Ilaro, Ogun State, and was attended by a host of dignitaries and local personalities, all united in the spirit of giving back to the community.

The initiative, which aims to promote social reintegration and support for the less fortunate, saw Chief Lawal extend a helping hand not only to the released inmates but also to elderly women in the area. The CEO personally distributed cash gifts and foodstuffs, emphasizing the importance of uplifting those in need and fostering a sense of belonging within the community. “We must remember that our strength lies in our ability to support one another,” Chief Lawal stated during the event. “This is just the beginning; I promise to extend this philosophical gesture to Nigerians regularly.”

The event drew a diverse crowd, including notable figures from various sectors. Among the attendees were Alhaji Ibrahim Dende Egungbohun, the Founder of IBD Implex and IBD Foundation, as well as popular Nollywood actors and actresses. Traditional rulers from both Yewa South and North also graced the occasion, highlighting the collaborative effort to enhance community welfare.

The atmosphere was filled with hope and positivity as stories of resilience and transformation were shared. The released inmates expressed gratitude for the opportunity to start anew, while the elderly women felt appreciated and valued, reminding everyone of the importance of compassion in society.

This year’s Wallex Day not only celebrated the theme of redemption but also reinforced the commitment to social responsibility. With promises of continued support and outreach, Chief Lawal and his team aim to inspire others to join in the collective effort to uplift the community.

As Wallex Day 2024 concluded, the message was clear: together, through acts of kindness and community engagement, a brighter future can be forged for all.

64-year-old man bags life jail for defiling neighbour’s daughter

The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, presided over by Justice Ramon Oshodi, on Tuesday, sentenced 64-year-old Lateef Durojaiye to life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s 11-year-old daughter.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the defendant was initially arraigned on December 6, 2019, at the Magistrate Court, Ikorodu, on a one-count charge of defilement and was later arraigned before the High Court on August 5, 2021, on the same charge.

The case was later struck out on November 29, 2021, for want of diligent prosecution and then relisted on May 22, 2022 when the defendant was re-arraigned, and he pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against him.

Following an amended charge by the prosecution on January 24, 2024, the defendant was re-arraigned on April 16, 2024, on a count of defilement.

His charge read, “Statement of offence, defilement of a child contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law, Chapter 617, Volume 3 of Laws of Lagos, 2015. Particulars of offence: Lateef Durojaiye, on or about November 30, 2019, at about 3 pm at no, 7 Anibaba Andrew Street, Ikorodu Lagos, in Ikeja Judicial Division, did defile the prosecutrix, aged 11 years old, by having unlawful sexual intercourse with her.”

The prosecution counsel, B. T Boye, I. D. Solarin and B. E. Okeowo, called five witnesses, the prosecutrix’s mother, the prosecutrix herself, the Investigative Police Officer, Inspector Adeoye Fumilayo, Sherifat Bakare, and Dr Emmanuel Effiong.

The prosecution disclosed that on November 30, 2019, while the prosecutrix’s mother was away purchasing goods, the defendant who was her tenant and neighbour, visited her residence and had sexual intercourse with the prosecutrix.

According to the prosecution case, the crime was discovered five days later after the the prosecutrix was observed limping, which led to a medical examination that revealed injuries consistent with forceful penetration as testified by the medical doctor.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the defence’s first witness, the defendant, claimed he was on Lagos Island with his brother on the day of the alleged incident and claimed that the allegations were fabricated by his landlord, who he said he had a dispute with.

The prosecution stated that a series of incidents presented established a fact of escalating sexual misconduct. According to their case, the first incident involved the defendant showing the prosecutrix pornographic content and asking her if she could perform the act.

On that day, he came to our house and gave me a phone and put the phone on video, and what was showing was blue film. He asked me if I could do what was in the video. My younger brother heard and asked what the defendant wanted me to do. The defendant then dragged the phone from me and I now stood up. My brother asked what happened and I told him, then my brother went to report to our neighbours who informed our mother, who warned the defendant not to come to our house again,” he stated.

The prosecution further disclosed that the second and more serious incident happened when the defendant defiled the prosecutrix. According to the prosecutrix, the defendant defiled her and threatened to kill her if she reported to her mother.

“On 30th November 2019, the defendant came to buy ggarri, and the neighbour my brother earlier reported to was the one who gave him a bowl and spoon to drink the garri. On that day, I came in and shut the door but our net was torn, so I shut the door and entered inside. I was sleeping and had the sense that someone was pulling off my underwear. By the time I opened my eyes, he had taken off his trousers and brought out his penis. When I shouted, he used a pillow to cover my mouth and inserted his penis into my vagina. When I threatened him that I would report, he said if I reported to my mother, he was going to kill me”, she said.

The prosecutrix’s mother also alleged that the defendant and his brothers came to plead with her to forget the case.

“On the second day, they asked us to come back around 10 am. So, when it got to 8:30 am, the defendant’s elder brother and younger brother came to meet me at home. They asked me to forget the matter, and that they would give me N300,000. I told them that I did not need their N300,000 and I told him, “Baba, you too, you have your female child, why did you not bring your daughter let my father sleep with her because you cannot accept what you are telling me to accept.’”

During his judgement, Justice Ramon Oshodi stated that the prosecution had established the case of defilement against the defendant by the standard required of Section 139 (1) of the Evidence Act and found the defendant guilty of defilement.

“I therefore find the defendant guilty of defilement and convict him under Section 137 of the Criminal Law.”

The prosecution counsel, BT Boye, then appreciated the witnesses for coming out and encouraged the witnesses to show up for justice to prevail.

“I want to commend the witnesses in this case for coming out and want to encourage witnesses in all other cases to always come out. It is by coming out that justice is assured and secured for the complainant and the defendant. We humbly apply that the name of this convict be entered into the sexual offenders register.”

In his sentencing, Justice Ramon condemned the defendant’s exploitation of a child, emphasising the severe breach of trust due to familiarity with the family. He stressed the gravity of abusing a position of trust, particularly given the family’s kindness towards the defendant and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

“Lateef Durojaiye, having found you guilty of defilement contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, I am bound to hold the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Nonetheless, I consider it essential to know the particular circumstances of this case. The victim was a child, you abused a position of trust with the victim and her family; this was premeditated as evidenced by your earlier conduct of showing pornographic material to the victim, the psychological impact on the child would be long-lasting.

“You also tried to evade responsibility by fabricating false defences, most significantly, you breached a position of trust; you were known to the family and had received kindness from them.

“The victim endured not only physical trauma but also a psychological burden for keeping the crime under threat, followed by the burden of testifying in court, that when adults prey on vulnerable children particularly those known to them, such an act must face the full force of the law.”

“Therefore, I sentence you to life imprisonment, Furthermore, under Sections 33 and 38 of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law 2021, you shall be registered as a sex offender. You shall be taken to the Medium Security Custodial Centre,” he said.

US Court Renews Allen Onyema’s Arrest Warrant Over Alleged $20m Fraud

A United States court has reportedly reissued an order for the arrest of the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema, over a $20 million fraud case that has been pending against him for five years.

Premium Times reports that the federal district court for Northern Georgia, Atlanta, renewed the arrest warrant on 9 October, following the addition of more charges to the case against Onyema and his co-defendant – Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance.

US authorities filed the superseding indictment on 8 October, alleging obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The two counts added to the pre-existing 36 counts of conspiracy, money laundering, bank fraud, credit application fraud, and identity theft. The superseding indictment brought the counts to 38, according to Premium Times.

Early in October, Onyema was charged ‘in a superseding indictment with obstruction of justice for submitting false documents to the government in an effort to end an investigation of him that resulted in earlier charges of bank fraud and money laundering.’

However, the airline in response to the latest indictment insisted on the innocence of its Chairman and Finance Director even as it assured that the fresh charges would not affect its operation.

On the day the superseding indictment was filed, Assistant US Attorney Christopher Huber filed for a new arrest warrant after the first one issued against Mr Onyema in 2019.

On the following day, 9 October, a deputy clerk of the court signed and delivered the new arrest warrant to the US Marshal, the American body that carries out the arrest of fugitives.

Preparatory to the filing of the charges in 2019, Russell Vineyard, a magistrate at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, issued a corresponding warrant of arrest for Messrs Onyema and Eghagha in Canada.

American prosecutors had sought the warrant to enable Canadian law enforcement authorities to take the suspects into custody if sighted in their jurisdiction.

In another arrest warrant issued on 19 November 2019, Justin Anand, an American magistrate of the same court, ordered the US Marshals Service to take them into custody.

In the 2019 charges, the US authorities accused Onyema of moving suspicious funds from Nigeria to American bank accounts between 2017 and 2018 with the funds allegedly disguised as being meant to be used to purchase aircraft.

The duo of Onyema and Eghaga allegedly applied for export letters of credit for the transfer of funds from a Nigerian bank account to the bank account of Mr Onyema’s Atlanta-Georgia-based firm, Springfield Aviation LLC, between 2016 and 2017.

The defendants, according to US prosecutors, applied for the funds purportedly for the purchase of aircraft by Air Peace from Springfield Aviation.

Prosecutors also said the aircraft referenced in each of the export letters of credit sent to the American banks was never owned or sold by Springfield Aviation.

Prosecutors said she “had no connection to the aviation business outside of her role with Springfield Aviation and had no education, training, or licensing in the review and valuation of aircraft, including aircraft components.”

In October 2022, the US District Court sentenced Ms Mayfield to three years’ probation for her roles in helping to facilitate the alleged fraud.

Prosecutors continue to allege that Mr Onyema founded and used Springfield Aviation “to facilitate large transfers of funds from his Nigerian bank accounts to the United States.”

Mr Onyema allegedly moved about $15 million from Springfield Aviation’s account with a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Atlanta, Georgia, to his personal savings account with the same bank in 27 transactions in 2017.

Each of the 27 transactions stands alone as a charge of money laundering.

Reacting to the filing of the superseding indictment last month, Air Peace noted in a statement that “both Mr Onyema and Eghagha remain innocent and these are mere allegations, and the case is still in court.”

It added that: “Our legal team is fully engaged with the matter and is working tirelessly to ensure that justice prevails. We remain confident that, through due process, the truth will be revealed, and our CEO and co-defendant will be exonerated.”

The airline argued that Mr Onyema and his legal team have consistently cooperated with authorities throughout the legal process and that Air Peace continues to operate without disruption, upholding its commitment to delivering top-notch services to its valued customers.

“We want to reassure the public that these legal proceedings will not impact the safety, reliability, or day-to-day operations of Air Peace. The dedication and focus of our staff remain steadfast as we continue to provide you with the best aviation experience in Nigeria and beyond,” the airline said.