Author: The Nation

Police in Ogun have rescued a journalist, Oduneye Oluwaseun, from his kidnappers 72 hours after he was seized by the gunmen in Ijebu Ode area of the state and taken away.

The gunmen cornered Oduneye at the Mobalufon area of the town while returning home from Abeokuta, the state capital, in his Toyota Camry car on Thursday at about 7:50pm.

The publisher of Issues Magazine was rescued on Saturday after the gunmen engaged the police in a 45-minute gun duel in Idimu axis of Egbeda Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The gunmen fled, abandoning the journalist’s blood-stained car.

Police spokesman in Ogun, Abimbola Oyeyemi said Oduneye’s abductors contacted his wife on Friday, demanding N30 million.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Frank Mba directed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Obalende, Ijebu Ode, Murphy Salami, in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, to ensure the safe release of Oduneye from the abductors.

“Detectives traced the suspects to Idimu area of Lagos, where the kidnappers were hibernating, waiting for the ransom”.

“On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums engaged them in a shootout before they abandoned the car and took to their heels. The victim’s car which was soaked with the kidnappers blood was recovered by the police team.”

A 35-year-old suspected robber, Olamide Wasiu, has admitted stealing over 100 motorcycles in the space of three months in various towns across Ondo State.

Wasiu also said that after stealing the motorcycles, he dismantled them before taking the parts to buyers in Oyo, Osun, and Ogun states.

According to the suspect, who was paraded at the headquarters of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, Alagbaka, Akure, he added that his major buyer escaped to Abuja when he was nabbed by Amotekun operatives.

The Amotekun Commander in the state, Adetunji Adeleye, said that an investigation had begun.

Adeleye also stated that operatives had been deployed to Abuja to track down and arrest the suspected buyer.

“The level of success in the issue of security generally in Ondo State was attributed to the synergy with all security agencies and the journalists’ timely dissemination of information,” Adeleye said.

“We had been on the trail of the syndicate, and were able to apprehend the ringleader, who confessed that he had stolen over 100 motorcycles within three months from Ondo State.

Similarly, the agency arrested a 45-year-old suspected rapist, Sunday Aboto, who was also found with three firearms during a search of his apartment by Amotekun operatives.

“Also, we have a rape suspect; when we searched his house, we found out that he has three guns, and we are able to establish that he uses these guns to hire them to criminals, among other offenses,” Adeleye said.

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court has remanded four unemployed men in Kirikiri Correctional Centre for allegedly robbing a pedestrian and a motorcyclist of their belongings at knifepoint and stabbing another victim.

The suspects, who live in Agege, Lagos are Isa Abdullahi, 21, Raji Abdullahi, 24, Toheeb Oyelakin, 18, and Abdulrasaki Jimoh.

They are being tried for conspiracy, robbery, possession of dangerous weapons and inflicting grievous harm.

The Magistrate, Mr M.A Adegbaye, did not take their pleas.

He ordered that they be remanded at Kirikiri Correctional Centre until March 27 pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP)

The Prosecution Council, Supol Bisi Ogunleye, told the court that the offences were committed on Jan 8, at Oniwaya, Agege, Lagos.

Ogunleye alleged that the suspects robbed one Olamide Ogunsanya of his motorcycle valued N290, 000 at knife point.

He also alleged they stabbed Ogunsanya with a knife on his left shoulder.

The prosecutor said the suspects also allegedly robbed one Steven Obi of his mobile phones valued N450, 000.

“They also collected N250,000 from Obi at knifepoint.”

InMakurdi, the Benue State capital, a magistrate’s court yesterday also remanded two students, Ugosor Japhet and Gwebe Ageba, over alleged culpable homicide and armed robbery.

The Magistrate, Mrs Erdoo Ter, adjourned the case till April 12 for further mention.

The Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Regina Ishaya, said that Ugosor Japhet had fraudulently received from the complainant’s sister, one Naomi Erkaa, the sum of N150,000 as advance payment for house rent.

The police prosecutor further stated that upon receipt of the money, the defendant connived with the second defendant and deceitfully lured the victim to his house under the pretext of giving her the keys to the apartment.

She added that when the victim got to the first defendant’s house, both defendants attacked her with a cutlass and inflicted deep cuts on her hands, neck and head, which caused her to bleed to death.

“The defendants then secretly moved the corpse of the deceased, striped her naked, hid her under a heap of yam tendrils and dispossessed her of her cosmetic bag, Itel handset and Iphone.

“During police investigation, the defendants were arrested and confessed to committing the crime,” she said.

Police in Cross River have confirmed the recovery of the body of a professor of Political Science with the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Felix Akpan.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Irene Ugbo, said the body was discovered on Sunday with multiple stab wounds in his apartment at Plot 181, Duke Town Close, State Housing in Calabar. Ugbo said that arrests have been made while the matter is still under investigation.

“We have a suspect in custody who claims to be a friend to the deceased (Prof. Akpan). He said he does not know what happened to him or who stabbed him to death.

“Our crack team of detectives have already swung into action, we will soon get to the root of the matter by unraveling who the killer is,” she said.

Meanwhile, a source who pleaded anonymity, said that the deceased, a former dean of Student Affairs in UNICAL, had a guest on Saturday but left very early on Sunday to Akampka before his remains were found.

“He had a male guest who came visiting at the weekend, but the person left very early on Sunday at about 5:00 am.

“A lady who stays in the compound said that she heard a loud scream same day the visitor who has now been confirmed to be a friend left his apartment and alerted people in the neighbourhood about the noise.

“Perhaps, he forgot something that made him come back to the victims’ house, where he was apprehended and taken to Prof’s apartment where we saw the lifeless body of Prof. Akpan with multiple stabs,” he said.

The Kano State Fire Service yesterday confirmed that fire razed some improvised shops and the upper building of old Savannah Bank at Singer Market in Kano.

A statement by the Service spokesman, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi, said that the fire started at about 02:18a.m.

Abdullahi said several temporary shops were completely razed by the fire, adding that the service was yet to ascertain the cause and total number of shops affected.

A rainstorm has destroyed over 100 houses in communities across Ilara-Mokin, Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Areas affected were Oladeji Street, Hospital Road, Odo Gbeyin, Oja Jare Quarters, and the Apostolic Primary School, Ilara Mokin, among others.

The Alara of Ilara Mokin, Oba Abiodun Adefehinti, called for urgent assistance from the state government.

“More than 100 houses are affected and the number of people who slept outside during these past nights would be close to 200 or more than that. Some of them have taken time to repair those ones that were not terribly damaged. We know government has a lot of things to do, but we are appealing to them that we need their assistance,” he added.

Commissioner for Energy, Mines and Natural Resources, Razaq Obe, said the damage caused by the rainstorm was unprecedented.

“The essence of our coming is to see for ourselves and convey the message to those that have responsibility to intervene,” Obe said.

• Defendant queries competence of charge

The Federal Government has arraigned a property developer, Cecil Osakwe, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged electricity theft.

Osakwe, the Managing Director of Abeh Signatures, a property development company, was arraigned yesterday before Justice Binta Nyako on a two-count charge in which he was accused of stealing electricity valued at N11million.

In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/331/2022 filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Osakwe was said to have tampered with electricity meters, which resulted in the loss of N11m revenue to the Federal Government.

The charge reads: “That you, Osakwe Ezem Cecil, sometime in the month of September 2021 at No 1, Mekong Close, Maitama, Abuja, FCT, unlawfully interfered with the supply of electricity by converting same which led to the losses of revenue and that in naira value about N11, 000,000.00 thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(10) of the miscellaneous Offences Act.

Osakwe pleaded not guilty, following which his lawyer, Victor Giwa applied for bail on his behalf.

In a ruling, Justice Nyako granted bail to Osakwe at N1m with two surety in like sum.

The judge then adjorned till May 2 for the commencement of trial.

Meanwhile, Giwa has filed an application challenging the propriety of the charge brought against his client.

Giwa, accused the Federal Ministry of Justice of being used to harass and intimidate his client.

Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has alleged that suspected herders have killed about 5,138 people in various communities of the state since 2015.

Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr Emmanuel Shior, who made the disclosure in Makurdi while interacting with journalists, also alleged that another 3,000 persons have been displaced in recent attacks by herders in Gwer West, Logo, Ukum and Kwande councils, while celebrating the defeat of Governor Samuel Ortom’s Senatorial bid.

He said that 18 out of 23 local government areas have been invaded by herdsmen with houses burnt and occupied with over two million people displaced.

“A few weeks ago, Benue communities were witnessing an influx of cattle with herdsmen on the ground that Ortom had lost the Senate bid and are celebrating the first victory. That is the end of the anti-open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law regime.”

The SEMA boss said he read in newspapers that a Fulani group were strategising for more action against the state; expressing the hope that the Benue government will not be deterred by a lack of support from the federal government and that the PDP governorship candidate, Titus Uba, will not renege on efforts put in place by Governor Samuel Ortom to fend for IDPs in the state.

“As president Buhari’s administration exits, another president will be willing to work with our next government to stop the ongoing carnage. The APC-led government has neglected us. The Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management is there, but the state government has not heard from them.”

Shior insists that over 10,000 Cameronians Refugees in the Kwande local Government area of the state are being protected by the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards against invading herdsmen attack.

The SEMA boss commended governors of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike; Akwa Ibom, Emmanuel Udom; Taraba counterpart, Darius Ishaku and Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party for their visit and support for the welfare of Benue IDPs.

He, therefore, begged Benue people to come out en mass on March 18 and vote for Titus Uba to be the next governor so as to sustain the developmental stride, security and other measures put in place by governor Ortom to stop terrorists herdsmen militia and their collaboration from taking over Benue State.