₦airaland Forum

Nosa Akenzua
A 71-year-old blind man, Meshack Igbokwu, on Thursday allegedly slapped his pregnant
daughter-in-law in Ugbolu, near Asaba, the Delta State capital.

It was reliably gathered that the victim, with a five-month-old pregnancy, had disagreed with the old man over his choice of food at night, which led to an altercation between both of them.

The septuagenarian was said to have allegedly slapped the woman when she moved closer to him.

The blind old man, who spoke to our
correspondent, said, “I was paid house rent by my tenant and I asked my daughter in-law to prepare eba (cassava meal) for me as I went to the bathroom to take my bath, after which I discovered that she prepared akamu (corn meal) for me.

“The money I put under the pillow was removed and this prompted me to call one of my tenants who paid me earlier to count the money, only to discover that the money was short of N5,000.

“I called my daughter (in-law) who shouted at me, saying I am blind.”
Eye witnesses of the fracas said the old man asked the woman for his money and why she prepared akamu instead of eba for him. She was said to have been infuriated by the queries and allegedly insulted him, which made him to reportedly slap her.

She was said to have fallen to the ground and was taken to a hospital by neighbours, where she was revived.

The matter was reported at the Ugbolu Police Division.

Officers at the division, who spoke to our
correspondent on condition of anonymity,
confirmed that the man, who was under
interrogation, confessed to the crime. They said investigation was ongoing.

ONE of three armed robbery suspects paraded by the police in Lagos, Babatunde Segun, aged 21, who resides in Ayobo, a suburb of Lagos, has confessed that wickedness and selfishness of neighbours and people he met in Lagos pushed him to armed robbery. The unending hardship that wheelbarrow pushers go through in the course of daily duties was another factor, he added.

His accomplices are Bala Mohammed, 19, and Toheed Ashimiyu, 18, from Lafenwa community in Ogun State.

According to the police, the three-man gang were wheelbarrow pushers before they allegedly embraced armed robbery for quick money. They specialised in tearing down the mosquito nets on windows and doors of victims who are mostly tenants in ‘face me I face you’ rooms, one bedroom and parlour arrangement, rooms with facilities en suite called ‘self-contained apartment’, one-bedroom flats, two-bedroom flats, three-bedroom flats and shops.

The police also revealed that the alleged robbers usually cart away moveable items like expensive phones, laptops, ipad, gold necklace, money in cash, ATM cards, wristwatches, gold rings, expensive shoes, clean good shirts and pairs of trousers, canvas shoes and sandals.

The source added that the three suspects operated on October 15 at about 3.30 a.m. at Johnson Joseph and Akinlade Streets in the Ashipa area of Ayobo, Lagos. When they reportedly turned into a nuisance with incessant armed robbery criminal activities, the officers and men of Ayobo Police Division captured one of the suspects and transferred him to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Further investigations by operatives of SARS led to the arrest of two other suspects, Babatunde and Bala. All made confessional statements and would soon be charged to court, said the source.

Exhibits recovered from them include a pair of scissors, cutlass, razor blades and two cellphones.

Explaining the role he played in the affair, the first suspect Babatunde said: “It is the wickedness and selfishness of our neighbours and the kind of people we met in Lagos, including hardship that we go through everyday in doing our ‘barrow pushing and the harassment we are subjected to every day by different Task Force who either ask us to pay costly ticket , and outright seizure of our ‘barrow sometimes that pushed us into armed robbery business. If you are hungry, nobody is ready to listen to you not to talk of helping you with a loaf of bread.”

The second suspect, Bala, said: “We are not armed robbers. We don’t carry guns. We carry cutlass just to force victims to submit whenever they want to attack us. Normally, our victims do not know that we are operating because we do it quietly. It’s only those who don’t sleep deeply that see us sometimes and we run away without challenging them. We don’t even like to do anything that can awaken them to avoid alerting neighbours that we are operating.”

The third suspect, Toheed, said: “My brothers refused to help me so I decided to push ‘barrow to do ‘kaya’ work at Alaba International Market area and other areas I could get load to carry.”

It was the Indian hemp that we normally smoke before we start work and at close of work that made me to join Babatunde and Bala to form net-tearing gang. I had wanted to stop but the phones and money we used to get in every operation made net-tearing work better than ‘barrow pushing.”

It was double celebration for Simon Tyohemen, as he not only won a brand new Hyundai Elantra saloon car in the on-going Gulder Ultimate Promo, but also had his wife delivered of their first baby that same day.
The 27-years-old student of Animal Husbandry at College of Agriculture Yandev, Benue State said he considered himself a lucky man to have received such blessing on the same day. Speaking while receiving his prize at the headquarters of Nigerian Breweries Plc in Lagos, Tyohemen said the historic event would forever linger in his memory. He said tears of joy streamed down his cheeks as he received a call just few minutes after his wife gave birth to a baby boy that he has also won a brand new car.

“For me, it was double celebration because my wife gave birth the same day I won the car. I used to see the Gulder promo billboard in Gboko, Benue where I live, but I never had enough airtime on my phone to try it. But one day I just decided that any time I have enough credit on my phone I would try the promo. It was the work of God. I drank three bottles of Gulder. I texted the code and kept on playing the game. I texted up to three codes and then stopped because my credit finished. I was surprised when they sent a message to me that I have won a car. I never expected it; at first I thought it was 419. So they called me again that I should come to Lagos. I told my wife and she was very happy and she encouraged me that it was true, that it’s real,” he said.

Also speaking, Tyohemen’s elder brother, Cletus, said he never believed in any promo until he saw his brother take delivery of the car he won courtesy of Gulder. The Lagos-based businessman expressed appreciation to Gulder for fulfilling its promises to its consumers irrespective of where they are. “For me, this is another reason to believe in and keep patronizing this brand (Gulder). At this time when the economy is bad, it is rare to see companies being as truthful as Nigerian Breweries. I am grateful to them for this,” he said.

According to Vindah Edem, Brand Communication Manager, NB Plc, there are three ways through which consumers can win in this year’s edition of the Gulder National Consumer Promotion. He stated: “First is the instant prize crown corks. As the name connotes, the prizes can be claimed instantly and the gift items in this category are 3.5 million bottles of beer and 500,000 units of N200 airtime, redeemable from any of the major networks. Consumers who find this crown cork would have to text the alpha numeric codes to the short code 20388 to get an instant electronic recharge from any of the four major GSM telecoms service providers; Glo, Airtel, Etisalat and MTN. The free drinks are redeemable at designated redemption centres.

“The second crown cork is the differentiated crown cork category and which have alpha numeric codes inscribed underneath them. Holders of this crown corks have to send the codes to 20388 to be part of a national raffle draw that would be held forthnightly. While grand prize winners will drive home brand new Hyundai Elantra cars, second and third prize winners will win N200,000 and N100,000 respectively. Other consolation prizes include generators, N50,000 shopping vouchers, refrigerators, 32 inch LED television sets, home theatre, rechargeable standing fans and electric shavers.

“Holders of the third class of crown cork – the experiential crown corks – marked Ultimate Chase, will have to report at designated national chase venues with six of those crown corks to participate for an opportunity to win a brand new car. Asides the prizes to be won, the Ultimate Chase gives consumers the opportunity to imbibe the brand’s core values. Other consolation prizes include MP3 players, mini music bluetooth speakers, dual SIM phones, electric shavers, Gulder cufflinks, spray irons, cooking plates, rechargeable standing fans, Galaxy Tabs, smart phones, 32 inch television sets, a year’s supply of Gulder, generators, refrigerators, and home theatres.”

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The police at Ajao Estate have arrested an Aba businessman , Onungwa Loveday, 31, who allegedly attempted to kill his friend , Chiwendu Sunday , 32, in a hotel room and stole his money in Lagos State , western Nigeria .
The incident happened at a popular hotel on Osolo Way in Ajao Estate , Lagos where both lodged for the night.

P .M . NEWS gathered that Loveday offered to assist Sunday to come to Lagos from Aba in Abia State to buy a bus.
P .M . NEWS also learnt that Sunday and Loveday live at 9, Leo Street , Jesus Healing Church in Aba , Abia State.
They also came from the same village in Osisioma in the same Aba town where they attended both primary and secondary school .

While they were coming to Lagos, Loveday hid a cutlass inside his bag without the knowledge of Sunday .
On getting to Lagos with the N 800 , 000 , they lodged in the hotel where the incident happened .
While they had gone to sleep , Loveday pretended that he had slept , woke up in the night and allegedly brought out the cutlass from his bag and started attacking Sunday with it.

He cut off his finger and inflicted severe injury on Sunday ’ s head , hands and other parts of his body .
During the attack, Sunday struggled with Loveday in the hotel room and raised the alarm which attracted the attention of the security guards who force the door open and resued the victim.

The hotel management took them to a hospital for treatment , from where Loveday jumped from the hospital story building and escaped with the money .
The police later trailed him and arrested him in Aba and brought him to court for prosecution.
He is facing a three- count charge of inflicting grievous harm, cutting the victim with cutlass and stealing under the Criminal Code.
He pleaded not guilty .

The prosecutor , Seargent Oje Uagbale informed the court that the victim was critically lying ill in a hospital and the suspect cut off his finger during the attack.
The presiding Magistrate , Mrs J . Ogbomoiko granted him bail in the sum of N50 , 000 with two sureties in like sum.
He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail .
The matter was adjourned till 2 November, 2015.

The suspect, 20-year-old Damilola Adeyemi, who was paraded at Lagos State police command,
Ikeja alongside four others, said: “I was kidnapped and initiated by some of the members of Buccaneer cult group in 2011 in Lagos.

Afeez Hanafi
A 24-year-old painter, Ola Junaid, is battling for his life at the Lagos Island General Hospital after a teenager, Afeez Ibikunle, allegedly stabbed him in the neck with a broken bottle.

The suspect also reportedly stabbed Junaid in the armpit while he was trying to run to safety.
He was said to have been rushed to a private medical centre in the area from where he was referred to the general hospital.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Ibikunle was fighting with somebody on Ajayi Bembe Street, Lagos
Island, on Tuesday, near a shop that Junaid was painting. Junaid was said to have separated them and warned that they stay away from where he was working.

It was gathered that Ibikunle, who reportedly felt
offended by the painter’s reaction, went back to the scene of the fight about two hours later, confronted Junaid and stabbed him multiple times in the process.

It was learnt that the suspect, a welder, fled the area, leaving the victim for dead in a pool of blood. He was, however, chased by some eyewitnesses who arrested him and handed him over to the police at the Adeniji-Adele division.

An eyewitness, Idris Iyaniwura, who spoke with
PUNCH Metro in Yoruba, said, “Everything happened very quickly. He (Ibikunle) attacked Ola (Junaid) where he was painting a shop. We thought he was only giving vent to his feelings until he suddenly started stabbing him. He fled but about five of us tracked him down and took him to the police station.”

Junaid’s brother, Owolabi, said the family had known no rest since the incident happened, adding that he had been responding to treatment.
He said, “We have been running all over the place since Tuesday night. We initially took him to a private hospital. The bleeding was much.

We thank God his condition is gradually improving but he can’t talk yet.
“He attempted to make peace between that boy and somebody he (Ibikunle) was fighting with and warned them not to disturb his work. He was still painting that shop when Ibikunle attacked him unawares. He stabbed him in the neck and forehead and while he was trying to run away, he pursued him and stabbed him in the armpit. So far, we have spent about
N150,000 for his treatment.”

A police prosecutor, Sergeant A. Koti, on Thursday brought the suspect before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court on one count of assault.
The charge read, “That you, Afeez Ibikunle, at about 8pm, on October 27, 2015 on Ajayi Benbe Street in the Lagos Magisterial District, did stab one Ola Junaid with a broken bottle on his neck, armpit and forehead which caused him grievous harm and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 243 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the
offence.
The presiding magistrate, Mr. L.A. Owolabi, admitted him to bail in the sum of N400,000 with two sureties in like sum.

“One of the sureties must be related to the defendant by blood and they must present evidence of three years tax payment. Their addresses must be verified by the prosecutor,” he added.
The case was adjourned till December 9, 2015 for
mention.

An officer of the Nigeria Customs Service and his wife have been arrested by the police in Ogun State for allegedly buying a set of 4 day-old twin babies for N500,000 in the Sango Ota area of the state.

Punch Metro reports that the officer, identified only as Azeez, and his wife were arrested by the Sango Police Division last Thursday and the babies recovered from them. They have now been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Command headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.

Azeez had confessed to the crime in his statement to the police. He had allegedly paid the sum to obtain the babies when his wife did not give birth to a second child after 23 years.
A police source told Punch:
“The incident happened last Thursday. The police got a tip-off that the couple had gone to Ibadan, Oyo State, to buy twin babies for N500,000. We then moved in on them and discovered it was true.

The twins were just four days old on the day of the arrest. We have not seen the parents yet. The customs man said in his statement that he and his wife already had a child together but they had tried to have a second child for 23 years and so they decided to purchase the twins. The suspect told the police that he paid N500, 000 for the babies. The babies had been with the police until Friday, when they were transferred to Abeokuta.

The suspects were taken to the anti-kidnapping
section of the SCID. It is possible that the parents of the babies connived with the suspects because they have refused to show up since the day of the arrest. But the babies are doing very fine.”

The Ogun State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the arrest. He added that investigations were still ongoing. He said:
“The arrest is true. The case has been transferred to the SCID, and it is being handled by the Anti-human trafficking department. The suspects are still undergoing investigation. During our investigations, we will get across to the parents and find out the circumstances that led to the disappearance of their babies.

We will also get across to the NCS authorities to show the level of complicity of their officer. I cannot disclose the suspect’s name, because we are still investigating. He was arrested with the wife.
The Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, Ejesieme Uche, when contacted, referred PUNCH Metro to the Ogun Area Command spokesperson, Usman Abdullahi.

“He will be in a better position to confirm or debunk this,” he added. Abdullahi, however, had yet to reply to a text message sent to his phone on the incident as of
press time.

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DAILY POST reliably gathered from a source within the market that the police corporal, simply identified as Corporal Monday, was a regular caller at the makeshift shanty brothels inside the market.

Troops in Adamawa on Wednesday foiled a fresh suicide attack at Gubula village in the Mdagali
local government area of the state.

V.O. Ezeugwu, commander of the task force, confirmed this to reporters in Mubi, saying his men intercepted a middle-aged woman with an improvised explosive device.

Ezeuguw said she concealed the device in her hand bag, while heading to the market in Gubula village “to accomplish her evil mission”.

The commander revealed that after foiling the attack, the army quickly condoned off the area and discovered hidden explosive devices.

Ezeugwu appealed to residents to continue to give useful information to security operatives to aid operatives in their quest to crush the insurgents.

Detectives attached to the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a fake suspected kidnapper, who tried to swindle The Sun Newspapers Deputy Managing Director (DMD), Mr. Steve Nwosu, when his wife, Toyin, was kidnapped. The suspect, Odo Sebastian, 25, a graduate of Economics from Kogi State University, was said to have got Nwosu’s phone number from one of the national dailies and put a call across to him, claiming that his wife was in his custody. He demanded N100,000 from Nwosu if he wanted to have his wife back alive. Sebastian said: “The news about the kidnapped wife of The Sun DMD broke at a time when I desperately needed money.

The money was to pay for something in school. I cashed in on the situation to possibly extort money from him. I got Nwosu’s phone number from the back of the paper. I put a phone call across to him. I told him that I could assist to get the release of his wife. The man was so excited when I told him. He asked me how much he would send to me.
I told him to send only N100,000.” According to Sebastian, Nwosu told him that he had N2.5 million as a ransom for anybody who was ready to assist in locating and securing his wife’s release. He said: “When Nwosu mentioned that huge amount, I was shocked because I’d never received or touched such amount of money before.

Immediately I heard about the money, I told him to send the money to me. I waited endlessly. The following day, without receiving the money, I called him. But to my surprise, he told me he had sent the money to the real kidnappers. I stopped discussing with him. I was later arrested by the police who tracked me through my phone conversation.”

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Four fake soldiers arrested at Idi-Araba, Agege and Mile 2 areas of the state were yesterday paraded by Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni.

They are John Izunwanne, 25, John Otu, 23, Richard Acha, 22, and Simon Anthony, 39.

Materials recovered from them included: two pairs of the Nigerian Army camouflage uniform; a pair of Army uniform, Army camouflage T-shirt, a pair of boots, two Army belts and two jungle hats.

Anthony told reporters that he was dismissed from service as a corporal for falling out from duty.

“I was dismissed in January 2014 for falling out from duty. I am from Adamawa state. I wanted to use the uniform to travel to Lagos because I had no transport money. But unfortunately, I was arrested by soldiers,” he said.

Acha, a welder from Benue State, said he found the camouflage T-shirt inside the bag his brother gave him at Ikeja cantonment.

“I wore it. I was arrested for wearing the army T-shirt,” he said.

Izunwanne said he bought the uniform at Ojo Cantonment on September 2.

He said: “I wanted to go and sign my army recruitment form at Ojo Barracks when I bought the uniform at the Mammy Market. However, on October 7, my friend had a court case and I was to appear in court as a witness. The court was in Agege and I did not have the transport fare to go, so, I decided to wear my uniform to save me the cost of transportation.”

Otu, a member of the Citizen for Peace and First Aid Missions in Nigeria, said he heard his friends were arrested and went to the police to secure their bail, only to be arrested for wearing the uniform.

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An-Abuja based physician, Dr Okezie Emenike, on Tuesday said abnormal sexual activities that irritate the urethra increase the risks of kidney infection.
Emenike said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He explained that “infection that enters through the opening of the urethra can infect the bladder, which can later lead to infection of the kidneys.
“Having sex that irritates the urethra can easily allow bacteria to enter the bladder and cause the development of kidney infection.
“Anal sex, pregnancy, kidney stones, as well as prolonged use of urinary catheter are also causative factors to kidney infection.’’
The physician said bacterium such as E.coli which lived in the bowel of humans was mostly responsible for the development of the infection.

According to him, Kidney infection occurs when bacteria enters the urinary tract through the tube that carries urine from the body (urethra) and begin to multiply.
The medic said bacteria from an infection elsewhere in the body could spread through the blood stream to the kidneys and lead to infection of the kidneys.

He added that women were most at risk of developing kidney infection, noting that the urethra of women was closer to the anus, which made it easier for bacteria to enter the urethra.
He attributed weakened immune system due to diabetes type 2, as well as infection of the prostate gland as factors that predisposed one to kidney infection.

He said any abnormality in the urinary tract, dehydration, as well as constipation could also increase the risk of developing kidney disease.
He added that “certain medications, HIV and damage to nerves around the bladder also pose risk of developing kidney infection.’’

Emenike, however, recommended frequent consumption of water, saying “it helps to remove bacteria from the body through urination.’’
He then stressed the need to always empty the bowel to free the bladder after intercourse, adding that it would help to prevent infections.

He advised women to always wipe carefully from front to back and avoid the use of douching products, including soap in the genital area in order to prevent the condition.
“The consumption of cranberry juice is beneficial too in preventing kidney infection,’’ he said.

The physician urged patients with the condition to take the prescribed dose of antibiotics to help treat the infection, saying painkillers such as paracetamol would help to relieve pains.
He, however, advised patients treating kidney infection to avoid the use of Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), stressing that such drugs would increase the risk of kidney problems.

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Afeez Hanafi

The mother of a seven-year-old primary one pupil, Samuel Olayinka, says she has yet to get over the loss of her only son, days after he was crushed to death by the car of a baale (traditional leader), Chief Spencer Savage.

It was learnt that Olayinka, a pupil of St. Kizto Primary School II, was playing with his friends on the premises of Fagba Junior Grammar School in Iju Station during the closing hours when the accident happened.

The two schools and five others are located in the same compound.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Savage had driven into the secondary school premises around 3pm on October 7, and was reversing while trying to park not knowing that Olayinka was behind the car.

Our correspondent was told that Olayinka had been waiting since 1pm for his sister – who is in JSS 3 – at a neighbouring school, to take him home.

He was said to have been rushed to a private hospital in the area where he died.

The deceased’s mother, who identified herself simply as Mama Mary, said her joy had been stolen. She, however, said she had taken solace in God.

She said, “I was surprised when I learnt he was playing, because he was a reserved child. Most times, I forced him to play at home; he was very calm. His sister normally goes to pick him when she closes from school at 3pm.

“There are supposed to be security guards at the school that regulate the vehicles entering the compound. He was attending a private school before I withdrew him from there when I could no longer afford the fees.

“It was very painful but I have left everything to God. It is a tragedy that I can never forget. I did not know how I got admitted in a hospital when I was told he had died. The baale (Savage) visited me once while I was in the hospital and he paid my hospital bill.”

Savage, who spoke to our correspondent on the phone, said he had come to the school on the fateful day to discuss his child’s poor performance with the principal. He said he made efforts to save Olayinka’s life to no avail.

He said, “I did not drive recklessly. I did not know he (Olayinka) was behind the car, trying to pick something and I didn’t see him in my rear-view mirror. I rushed him to Ayodele Medical Centre and the doctor tried his best. The doctor said he had an internal hemorrhage.

“I took him to the mortuary and I was subsequently detained at a police station for two days. It was not intentional. I also have children. I wanted to see the principal to discuss my child’s poor performance.”

One of Olayinka’s teachers, who did not want his name in print, blamed the accident on the inadequate security in the school.

He said, “The baale was not aware that the boy was at the back of his car. I still believe the accident could have been averted if he (baale) was more careful. The back tyre crushed the boy’s head and he died afterwards.

“The incident was reported at the Iju Police Station.

“Besides, his mother should not have allowed a little child like that to wait that long for his sister. Our school closes at 1pm; the mother should have come to pick him herself. The security here is lax. We have only two security guards manning the seven schools. The guards resume by 8am and close at 2pm.

“The school compound has become vulnerable to hoodlums since its fence collapsed. Our pupils are no longer safe from intruders and abductors. These are imminent dangers which need the government’s attention urgently. The seven schools have a population of over 5,000.”

The Head Teacher of the school, Mrs. Sowunmi, declined to comment on the incident and referred our correspondent to her superiors.

“I cannot talk to the press concerning the incident. Please, meet those at the top,” she said.

The Lagos State Police spokesperson, DSP Joe Offor, had yet to reply to a text message sent to his phone on the incident.

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By Anayo Okoli
UMUAHIA—Abia State police command has arrested a suspected ritualist, Marshal Nwankwo, of Dikeukwu autonomous community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, for allegedly killing a hunchback, Mr. Ukata Iheme, for money making purposes.
The suspect, who was said to have committed the crime with another suspect, Emeka Okoye, now at large, allegedly killed and buried the victim.

Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Onyeke Udeviotu, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect was arrested, following information that he was alleged to have been sighted last with the victim before his disappearance.

According to the Police, the suspect on interrogation made useful statements that led to the discovery of the grave where the body of the victim was buried.
Following his confession, the decomposing corpse of the victim was last Tuesday exhumed from the grave.

Udeviotu said the police investigation was still on-going and appealed for calm.
Sources from the community said the victim was reported missing on Saturday, October 10, 2015.
His disappearance was reported to the Police and public announcements also placed on local radio stations.
The sources said the arrested suspect and his accomplice on the run, claimed to be pastors.

Acting on information, the youths of the community were said to have stormed the residence of the fake pastor who, however, denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing hunch- back.
But not satisfied with his answers to questions put to him, the curious youths handed the suspect over to the Police for further interrogations.

According to the youth leader of the community, Mr. Chukwudi Egwu, when the suspect was confronted, he told them that he went to Benin on the day of the said incident, not knowing that his wife had earlier told them that he went to Lagos.

“We got information that the suspect was seen on that fateful day at Dubai market Onuimo, drinking wine with the pastor.
‘’Some people also said they later came to a beer parlour at Dikenta village drinking together. But the pastor denied setting eyes on him that day,” Egwu said.
He said the youths decided to conduct a search at the pastors’ churches where they saw a pair of shoes identified by the victim’s son as his father’s.

“This boosted our morale and as we continued combing the area, we also saw his shorts in a nearby cassava plantation.
‘’It was at that point that we combed the entire place and saw a mount of red soil which we strongly believed must be a grave.

“We, therefore, decided to contact the Police who came and we opened the shallow grave and found his decomposing body inside, with his genitals and hunchback missing”, the youth leader said.

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A senior counsel in the defence team of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has lost $200,000 in a popular hotel in Asaba, the Delta State capital, it was learnt at the weekend.

It was gathered that the black market value of the stolen money was about N44.6 million.

But the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Baba Alkali Usman, confirmed to The Nation that $100,000 was stolen.

It was unclear what the money was meant.

The three-man panel of the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal led by Justice Nasir Gunmi is set to deliver judgment today in the two petitions by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP) challenging the declaration of Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship election by the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The defence lawyers to the governor were lodged at the hotel adjacent to the tribunal throughout the duration of the election petition.

The lead lawyers in the defence team are: Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN) representing Okowa (the first respondent); Mr. A.T. Kehinde (SAN) for the PDP and Damien Dodo (SAN) for the third respondent (INEC).

It was learnt that the money was stolen from Chalet 111 in the hotel, where one of the lawyers resided.

It was learnt that four suspects – two females and two males – were arrested and detained by the police over the theft.

Of the four, a female believed to be the girlfriend of one of the suspects was also arrested.

The suspects are Uchechukwu, Florence , Favour and Chidozie.

It was learnt that the suspects were granted N180,000 bail.

One of the male suspect paid N80,000. Another suspect coughed out N50, 000.

The last two suspects, who were unable to pay the bail sum, were held until their relatives paid N50,000.

The suspects were kept at the Police ‘A’ Division for three weeks before they were transferred to the state police headquarters, where they spent another three weeks.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the girlfriend to one of the suspects was apprehended on the ground that the money might have been hidden in her house.

The Nation gathered that subsequent search on the lady’s home by the police did not produce any incriminating evidence.

It was gathered that the management of the hotel, unsatisfied with the conduct of the investigation by the police, petitioned the state police commissioner, who ordered a transfer of the matter to the State Criminal Investigating Department (SCID).

The suspects were released last Thursday.

The police commissioner confirmed that $100,000 was stolen at the hotel, adding that the hotel’s chief security officer lodged a complaint to the police.

He said the police were constrained to act because the lawyer refused to formally lodge a complaint, adding that the police had to release the suspects.

Alkali debunked the claim that the police received N180,000 as bail, stressing that bail was free and that his men would not indulge in such criminal activity.

His words: ‘We have received a case of stolen money from Grand Hotel by the chief security officer of the hotel, who reported that one of his guests lost the sum of $100,000.We incidented the matter at the Police ‘A’ Division and requested that those who worked overnight and those who had the keys to the chalet and those on night duty on that day appear at the police station.

“We visited the scene of the incident. When we did not see the complainant, we had to release those four persons pending when the complainant will come and formally lodge a complaint.

“But the CSO petitioned the Police ‘A’ Division and the matter was transferred to the State Criminal investigation Department. We released the four suspects when the complainant still failed to turn up. We held four suspects .Two of them – members of staff of the hotel, but the other two are not members of staff. The only connection is that one of them is the boyfriend to one of the suspects.

“On the issue of paying N180, 000 as bail, as far as I am concerned, the officer in charge says he does not know anything about it.”

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Samson Folarin

An Islamic cleric, Ali Mohammed, has confessed to killing a 32-year-old graduate of Business Administration, Olufunbi Lawal.

The suspect, who owed Olufunbi N32,000, said he killed the deceased in order to avoid paying the debt.

Mohammed said he arranged four other relatives, who killed him on Thursday on Olorunfemi Street, in the Oworonshoki area of Lagos State.

He said, “He (Olufunbi) sold a motorcycle to me for N40, 000 last month and I gave him N8, 000 with a promise to pay up before the end of October. But he kept disturbing me to give him his balance. I delayed in paying because the motorcycle developed some faults that also gulped the money I was to use to pay him.

“On that fateful day, I invited some of my relatives. We killed him in order to stop him from disturbing me.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that Olufunbi, a graduate of a Lagos polytechnic, left his shop to meet Mohammed to collect the money the latter was owing him for a motorcycle he (Olufunbi) sold to him.

As the 32-year-old entered his friend’s house on Thursday night, he was grabbed by a gang of five men led by Mohammed.

The men reportedly tied a rope around his neck before slamming an iron bar on his head, thereby breaking his skull.

Not done, the men chopped off his fingers and slashed his neck with a cutlass.

PUNCH Metro learnt that his corpse was dragged down from the three-storey building and thrown onto the roadside, where it was found on Friday morning.

A resident and close friend of the victim, Funke Nuberu, explained that Olufunbi and Mohammed had been friends for more than four years.

She explained that when Olufunbi’s landlady started demanding rent, he decided to turn to his friend to offset his debt, but the suspect asked for more time.

She said, “Olufunbi had a shop where he sold provisions. Ali (Mohammed) is a security guard on the street; he was employed to guard a renovated building that had been put up for sale by an insurance company.

“Olufunbi’s shop is adjacent to Ali’s house on Olorunfemi Street.

“Olufunbi usually closed his shop around 10pm. But he got a call around 8pm on that fateful day and asked one of his friends to look after the shop and that he would soon return.

“Around 10pm, he was not back and the landlady wanted to lock the gate, so the person looking after the shop came to inform me that Olufunbi had not returned.”

Nuberu said efforts to reach him on his telephone were abortive as it was later discovered that his handset was left in the shop.

She said the call log on the telephone was checked and it turned out that Mohammed was the last person the victim called.

Mohammed, when challenged, denied knowing his friend’s whereabouts.

“We challenged him that he was the last person that Olufunbi spoke with on the phone but he said Olufunbi called his old telephone line,” Nuberu added.

It was learnt that the victim’s family members reported the case at the Oworonsoki Police Division.

Charles Shittu, who claimed to have watched over the victim’s shop on Thursday, said he was going to make a statement at the station when information filtered in that a corpse had been found on an adjoining street.

He said it was identified as the 32-year-old.

A resident, Solomon Paul, said the blood dripping from the corpse was traced to the second floor of the building where Mohammed worked as a security guard.

He said, “There was blood from the ground floor to the top floor, so his corpse must have been dragged down after he was killed. We saw the clothes Mohammed wore the previous day, stained with blood. There was also a rope, which was used to tie his neck. The keys to his shop were on the ground.

“We found a crowbar which they used to hit his head and a cutlass that they also used to kill him.”

Paul said some old blood stains were also in the house, suggesting that criminal activities had been going on for some time in the house.

Mohammed was said to be a reputed muezzin in a mosque in the community.

PUNCH Metro learnt that an irate mob that tore through the building descended heavily on Mohammed until he passed out.

The President of the Oworonshoki Youth Forum, Oluwasegun Somorin, who decried the murder, urged security operatives to bring the perpetrators of the crime to book.

The victim’s elder brother, Kazeem, said the family did not have the means to pursue the case, adding that only God could fight for them.

He said, “Olufunbi was very hardworking. He already had a piece of land in Ikorodu, but he put the project on hold because of his education. He also had a fiancée and they were planning their wedding.

“It is only God that can fight for us. His corpse has already been deposited in a mortuary.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, confirmed the incident, adding that two suspects had been arrested.

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The immediate past governor of Lagos State and ministerial nominee, Babatunde Raji Fashola will on Monday be conferred with award by International Crisis Group (ICG), a worldwide conflict prevention group.

Other six exceptional personalities will also be conferred with the awards.

The ICG annual award, will be held in New York, in the United States.

In a statement by ICG, Stephen J. Solarz, the award will be given to Fashola “for his commitment to resolving social, economic and security challenges in one of the world’s most challenging urban environments.”

Founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson, will also bag an award for what ICG noted as “his visionary reshaping of private sector initiatives to promote peace, human rights and sustainable development.”

Another awardee, is former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, who is said to merit the award for her “exemplary efforts to prevent conflict and mass atrocities, alleviate suffering during the Balkan crisis, and protect refugees worldwide.”

For their “unwavering dedication to pluralism, inclusion and compromise during Tunisia’s democratic transition” according to ICG, President Béji Caïd Essebsi of Tunisia and Nahdha Party leader, Rached Ghannouchi, were also among the awardees.

Former Italian Foreign Minister, Emma Bonino is also to be given award for her “tireless role in de-escalating tensions and promoting peace.”

Other awardees include former Australian Foreign Minister who is also the pioneer President of ICG, Gareth Evans, for promoting principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P).

ICG’s President, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, who announced the 2015 awards in Brussels, Belgium, said “each award goes to a pioneer of peace, to a relentless fighter for the improvement of people’s lives, to someone who has built bridges, believed in change and mobilised others in the name of justice.”

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Saturday cautioned the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and President Muhammadu Buhari to abstain from influencing tribunal judgements in favour of the APC.
Fayose was reacting on Saturday to the tribunal judgement that sacked Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the one that ruled for a re-run in Akwa Ibom.
“The seeming collaboration between the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government and a section of the judiciary is worrisome and portends grave danger to the corporate existence of Nigeria.
“This is worse than corruption that the president claimed to be fighting,” Fayose said.

The Governor added that “the desperation to take over the South-south states of Rivers and Akwa Ibom through the backdoor by President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC, in preparation for 2019, using the judiciary may, cause anarchy in the country.”
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the Governor accused the APC and President Buhari of another grand plot to rig the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa states governorship election using the newly appointed Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the Director General of Department of State Security (DSS), Alhaji Lawal Daura.

He further described the suspension of the appeal court judgment on Senate President Bukola Saraki as part of the grand plot to use a section of the judiciary to wrestle power from those the Buhari’s presidency is not comfortable with adding that the indefinite adjournment by the appeal court smacked of interference from the powers that be.
“There were widespread electoral malpractices during the presidential election in the North, with rampant under-aged voting. Yet, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not take steps capable of threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence.
“Curiously too, in a State like Yobe where it was established that the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Abu Zarma received N15 million bribe from the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Zakari Deba to influence the State Governorship election, the tribunal did not nullify the election,” he said.

The governor called on President Buhari to, in the overall interest of Nigeria, tread cautiously in his bid to consolidate power and prepare ground for his possible re-election bid.
Governor Fayose, who reminded the President of the wild, wild west of the mid 60s and the 1983 saga between late Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Chief Akin Omoboriowo, which was orchestrated by the then Federal Government, said: “the consequences of the orchestrated plot to prevent the people of Western Region from having the government of their choice through a fair and just election in 1964 should be a watchful example for Nigerians in general and President Buhari in particular.”
He appealed to the people of the South-south not to be intimidated and discouraged, expressing hope that the appellate court will protect the wish of the people of Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.
“Governors Wike and Udom, as well as the teeming supporters of our party, PDP in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States should not be deterred and discouraged as I am sure that by the special grace of God, they will laugh last,” the governor said.

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