₦airaland Forum

A dismissed policeman, Akanmu Kabiru, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by an Oyo State High Court for receiving bribe from an armed robbery suspect, Badmus Akojode.

The court also convicted two other policemen in absentia.

The convicted policemen – Tajudeen Olalere and Omotosho Lawrence – have been on the run since they jumped bail.

The ex-police officers were arraigned before Justice A. I. Akintola by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on four charges bordering on asking and receiving gratification from a suspect in the course of investigating a robbery case.

The ICPC told the court that the offences were committed in May 2007 when the police officers asked for and received the sum of N200,000 from Akojode in order to exonerate him from an armed robbery case they were investigating.

The commission also said the offences contravened sections 8 (1) (a), and 26 (1) (c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and punishable under Section 8 (1)(b) of the same act.

The accused who had earlier pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them were found culpable by the court.

The judge subsequently sentenced Kabiru to three years’ imprisonment.

He also gave the order that those that had jumped bail should be found and made to face the music.

A transport union worker, Sunday Anyau, and the owner of a Bus Rapid Transport, Alhaja Sidikat Bello, are at loggerheads over who should foot the medical bill after the former lost his arm in a crash involving the bus and a trailer.

While Anyau blamed the woman for not showing enough concern for him, the owner claimed he caused the accident, insisting that she had done the little she could to assist him.

The 34-year-old told Saturday PUNCH that he had boarded the bus from Oshodi where he worked around 8:30pm when he closed from work.

While the journey progressed, the bus, which was heading for Sango, reportedly rammed into a truck that was stuck in traffic at Amje Bus Stop, inwards Tollgate, Ogun State.

The Abia State indigene, who said he became unconscious following the crash, explained that he discovered his arm had been cut off.

He said, “The accident happened on April 13, 2018 when I was returning to my residence in Lafenwa, Sango. I boarded the BRT after close of work. On getting to Amje Bus Stop, we suddenly heard a bang. That was the last thing I heard. I found myself lying in the bus. I discovered that my arm was gone. With blood gushing out, I looked for it around, but could not find it. Other passengers also sustained injuries.

“I was taken to the Sango Police Station to get a police report which I tendered at a nearby private hospital. The hospital referred me to Sango General Hospital. The following day, I was admitted to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja.”

Anyau stated that Bello visited him at LASUTH on April 19 along with her son, who reportedly took his photo on the hospital bed.

He said the woman gave him N30,000 out of the N115,000 hospital bill, adding that the hospital requested N350,000 for the grafting of the severed upper arm.

“I learnt my picture was taken to the Alakuko Police Station, where the bus was detained. I was still at the hospital when the bus was released.

“The hospital said I needed to undergo a surgery to cover the opening at the upper arm. They charged N350,000 which I could not afford.

“The woman promised to foot the surgery bill. After I was discharged, she also promised to be sending money to me, but she did not keep to her promise. I started disturbing her and about a month ago, she sent N10,000 into my account. I spend N2,000 every two days to dress the wound. I have exhausted my drugs and I can no longer endure the pain. It is much,” he said.

However, Bello, claimed to have supported Anyau with about N90,000, stating that he caused the accident by distracting the driver in an attempt to extort money from him.

The woman stated that she was still struggling to raise funds to repair “the badly damaged bus,” noting that she only assisted Anyau because she felt pity for him.

She said, “The man was neither a passenger nor a conductor. The bus was going to close around 12:00am; no passenger was there. He wanted to collect money from the driver and was disturbing him. The bus ran into a truck because he made the driver to lose concentration. He hanged onto the bus; that was why he lost his arm.

“The first day I visited him at the hospital, I bought drugs worth N31,100 for him. After then, I sent my son to give him N20,000. He told me that the operation would cost N150,000. I said I could not afford it because the bus that would have been my source of income had broken down.

“I discussed with his bosses and family on the way forward. Three days after, his brother said he had raised N70,000 and I sent another N30,000. After he was discharged from the hospital, I sent N10,000 to him. I have the evidence of all the payments.

“I have spent close to N800,000 to fix the bus, yet, it is not in good condition. I am an elderly person. The man is just trying to extort money from me. The driver ran away after the accident and I have not been able to reach him.”

A consultant at a construction firm in Abuja, Abdulkareem Sheu, is cooling his heels in police custody in Abuja for shooting a car dealer in the head.

The 30-year-old reportedly shot the victim, Yakubu Ayuba, to evade payment in a car transaction between them.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that Sheu had bought a Volkswagen Passat car worth N2.5m from Ayuba sometime in April 2018 and paid N1.5m in cheque with a promise to pay the balance after delivering the vehicle to the owner in Kaduna.

Ayuba was said to have released the car to the suspect based on the previous successful transaction they had.

It was gathered that he returned from Kaduna two days later and went to pick Ayuba at his home, asking the victim to follow him to collect the balance.

He was said to have driven Ayuba to Minister Hill, Abuja, in a Mercedes Benz he brought from Kaduna around 7:00pm and parked on getting to a junction.

The Gombe State indigene suddenly brought out a pistol and shot Ayuba in the head at close range.

He was said to have abandoned the car and fled the scene while some passersby rushed the victim to a hospital where he was treated.

Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team went after the suspect following a petition addressed to the IG, Ibrahim Idris.

The police said the N1.5m deposit made by the suspect later turned out to be a dud cheque as it was rejected upon presentation at the bank.

Sheu, in an interview with our correspondent during the week, owned up to the attempted murder, adding that he bought the gun he used to shoot Ayuba from a friend in Jos, Plateau State, while returning from Kaduna.

He said, “I am a consultant in Abuja. A friend of mine linked me to Ayuba sometime last year to buy a second-hand car. He did not have the car, so he took me to his colleague and I bought the car for N570,000. I paid instantly.

“In April 2018, I contacted him again for Passat CC and he ordered for the car from Lagos. We agreed on N2.5m and I gave him N1.5m cheque with a promise to give him N1m balance at the end of the month.

“I took the car to a man in Kaduna the following day. I exchanged it with a Mercedes Benz and the man gave me additional N200,000. On my way back from Kaduna, I stopped by at Jos to buy a locally-made pistol for N70,000 through a former classmate. When I got to Abuja, I went to pick Ayuba on April 14. I pretended that I wanted to pay him the N1m balance and took him to Minister Hill junction. I brought out the gun and shot him in the head.

“We started dragging with each other and the gun fell. He ran away with the car key, shouting for help. Some hoodlums descended on me and beat me up. They collected my phone and later freed me. I saw the Mercedes Benz at a nearby police station the next day and ran away. Two days after, I relocated to Gombe.

“I am already regretting what I did. I don’t know what came over me. I wanted to kill him so that he would not ask me about the money again.”

MINNA, the Niger State capital has been thrown into mourning following the death of twin brothers in an accident on Tuesday.

The brothers were recruited into Police force the same day and have been reportedly popular because of their commitment to duty.

Tears flowed freely as relations and members of Niger State Police Command heard the news of their death.

Mohammed Hassan and Mohammed Hussaini were reportedly killed when a driver ran into them at Maitumbi, a suburb of Minna

Both were on a motorcycle when the incident occurred.

One of the deceased was a police sergeant while the other was a corporal but they both joined the force the same day and were known for their gallantry and dedication to duty in their place of work and the state headquarters of the police command.

Hussaini was said to be a prosecutor and his wife was recently delivered of a set of twins.

It was gathered that the two policemen were hit by a Peugeot 206 salon car driver who was also hospitalised as a result of the injury he sustained in the accident.

The driver according to the report simply called Mohammed had been unconscious since he was admitted to the Minna General Hospital.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abubakar, confirmed the story describing the incident as an accident

“It is an accident; the matter is being investigated at the end of the investigation we will know the next step to take,”

Abubakar said the corpses had been released to their relations for burial.

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Mario Mandzukic struck an extra-time winner as Croatia defeated England 2-1 on Wednesday to advance to the World Cup final for the first time in the country’s history.

Kieran Trippier’s maiden international goal fired England ahead early in Moscow, but Ivan Perisic levelled in the second half before Mandzukic sent Croatia through to a showdown against France on Sunday.

With a population of just over four million, Croatia are the smallest nation to reach the final since Uruguay, the winners of the 1950 tournament.

AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Croatia’s victory over England:

Extra time hands France further advantage

With the bonus of any extra day’s rest and Croatia having been taken to extra-time for the third time in succession, France will be far the fresher of the two sides in Sunday’s final. Following a clinical 1-0 win over Belgium in Tuesday’s semi-final, Didier Deschamps’ men have played a staggering 90 fewer minutes than their opponents in the knockout rounds. Croatia, who were beaten in extra-time by Portugal at Euro 2016, became just the second team to go to extra-time in three consecutive World Cup games. However unlike England at the 1990 tournament, it was again third time lucky thanks to Mario Mandzukic’s 109th-minute goal.


Trippier gives weight to Beckham comparison

Former Manchester City reject Kieran Trippier, who grew up idolising David Beckham, conjured up an act of brilliance reminiscent of the former England captain. Only Neymar and Kevin De Bruyne have rivalled Trippier in terms of chances created at the World Cup, and the Tottenham defender produced his champagne moment of a breakout tournament for the 27-year-old with England’s opening goal. Trippier’s curling fifth-minute free-kick was his first international goal, a prominent example of the quality of his delivery that has given rise to the “Bury Beckham” moniker, because he was born in Bury near Manchester. It was England’s first goal scored directly from a free-kick at the World Cup since Beckham’s winner against Ecuador in 2006, and the team’s 12th goal of the competition — surpassing the 11 they netted en route to lifting the trophy 1966.

Croatia’s turn to break down barriers

England coach Gareth Southgate had spoken of his young side “breaking down barriers” in Russia after their biggest World Cup win and first penalty shootout triumph, but it was Croatia who forced their way into a relatively closed shop as just the 13th different country to progress to the final in 88 years. Spain, the 2010 champions, were the last first-time finalists in what is now the 21st edition of the competition. It is an achievement all the more remarkable for a country with a population of little more than four million. Only Uruguay — who lifted the inaugural title in 1930, and again in 1950 — has a smaller population among all World Cup finalists.