Government officials attached to the office of the Kano State Deputy Governor are currently undergoing interrogation over the alleged theft of a Toyota Hilux, an operational vehicle belonging to the State House convoy.

The Guardian gathered that the vehicle went missing from the Deputy Governor’s office on Sunday evening, when most workers were off duty for the weekend.
Intelligence reports revealed that a few individuals, including a long-serving civil servant, allegedly drove the vehicle out of the Government House under the cover of darkness.

A reliable source disclosed that what appeared to be a coordinated operation was carried out by familiar government staff, evading the notice of armed security personnel at the Government House.
“The criminal act was actually perpetrated by officials at the Deputy Governor’s office, though it happened on a Sunday evening when there is usually little activity at the Government House,” the source said.
“But how the suspect managed to move the vehicle out without being stopped by security personnel is questionable. That suggests some level of connivance. A security officer should have intercepted him. However, this does not imply there is a security threat at the seat of power.
“My thinking is that the man was not stopped and perhaps allowed to move out the vehicle since he’s a familiar face. But again, they (security) should have known he was not on official duty and it was on Sunday evening. I’m sure intelligence will unravel the whole question”, an internal source revealed.

Although there has been no official statement from the Deputy Governor’s office regarding the incident, reports circulating on social media suggest that a thief sneaked into the Government House and made away with the Toyota Hilux.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened around the Government House, with heavily armed police and DSS operatives conducting thorough checks on visitors and officials.

In other news, Justice Ismail Ijelu of a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced a man, Obinna Kingsley Anijiofor, to nine years’ imprisonment for stealing and issuing dud cheques.

The court sentenced him after finding him guilty as charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended three-count charge involving the sum of ₦9,500,000.

Anijiofor was arraigned on February 10, 2025, for allegedly stealing ₦9,500,000 and $32,000, which formed part of the $91,000 paid to him by Obinna Kingsley Onwubuariri for the import of goods.

According to the EFCC, the funds were entrusted to Anijiofor for the importation of goods, but he dishonestly converted part of the money to his personal use.
He was alleged to have issued a cheque without sufficient funds in his account.

Anijiofor pleaded not guilty, and the prosecution counsel, M. K. Bashir, called three witnesses, tendered several documents in evidence, while the defence called two witnesses.

However, while delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Ijelu found the defendant guilty on all three counts. He sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment on count one for issuing a dishonoured cheque (without an option of fine).

On count two, he was also sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for issuing dud cheques and five years’ imprisonment on count three for theft, without an option of fine for the three counts charged.

Justice Ijelu ordered that the sentences be served concurrently, amounting to a total of nine years’ imprisonment.

The court also ordered restitution of $32,000 to the complainant, Obinna Kingsley Onwubuariri.