The Nation Newspaper

Category: Crime Diary

  • Lagos rehabilitates freed Badagry prison teenagers, unites them with family members

    Lagos State Government has commenced the process of rehabilitating and re-uniting the 80 newly released teenagers from Badagry prison to their family and relatives.

    The teenagers were on Tuesday last week released by the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade during one of her visits to prisons across the State.

    Speaking during a visit to the Oregun Correctional Home for Boys, Lagos, where the released underage inmates are presently being rehabilitated on Tuesday, the Comissioner for Youths and Social Development, Pharmacist Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, said that the children were immediately accommodated at the centre following their release so that the state government can give them appropriate care.

    She disclosed that although the development was an impromptu one, the children had since their arrival at the centre been subjected to series of tests including psychiatric test to ascertain the level of their mental alertness and sanity.

    She said that some of the children who have been able to provide traceable details about their residences, parents or family members have been reunited to their relatives, adding that the state government will contact appropriate authorities from other States to come to the centre and identify the remaining children accordingly.

    According to her, the state government has been following due processes in the handing-over and integration of the children to their respective relatives.

    The Commissioner warned the children especially those from other States to desist from getting involved in criminal activities and stay away from Lagos if they don’t have any meaningful engagement or family members who will fend for them.

    Following the disclosure by the children that over ninety percent of them were either living with a family member or a single parent, the Commissioner appealed to parents to be committed to the needs of their wards and be wary of sending their children to stay with distant family members who they cannot vouch for.

    “My advice to married couples is that they should try as much as possible to guide against divorce because of its attendant effect on children. Parents should spend quality time with their children, provide for them and show care for them so that they will not be easily swayed into crime and vices”

    “It is obvious that parental care is lacking in these children and the problem is a fall-out of what obtains in the society at large . This ugly situation make these children susceptible and exposed to various forms of abuses and societal vices” She restated.

    Akinbile-Yussuf promised to make available to children food items and more medical aids in form of drugs.

    A Consultant Psychiatric with Lagos State College of Medicine, LASUCOM, Dr. Olayinka Atilola who provides medical care for the children at the centre, disclosed that 20 of the children had already been reunited with their family members.

    He said that medical assistance remedies is already being provided for some of them that have medical challenges, adding that medical examination on some of the children already shown that a significant number of them have body rashes and infection.

    Dr. Atilola commended the visit by the Commissioner and top government officials from the Ministry of Youths and Social Development, saying that the visit will go a long way in increasing the sense of belonging among the children.

  • Over 100 IDPs benefit from NAF’s medical outreach

    At least 100 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) yesterday benefitted from a free medical service organised by the Nigerian Air Force  (NAF) in Lagos.

    The medical outreach which was approved by the Chief of the Air Staff  (CAS) Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, was part of the week long aeromedical evacuation and medical deployment exercise organised by the NAF in collaboration with the United States’ (US) Air Force.

    The medical outreach featured free malaria, blood pressure, eye, HIV and hypertitis checkup, consultations, prescriptions and provision of drugs.

    Free eye glasses, treated mosquito nets and food items were also handed over to the IDPs, as medical personnel counselled beneficiaries on the need for personal and environmental hygiene.

    Abubakar, who was represented at the closing ceremony of the African Partnership Flight (APF) exercise, by the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Yahaya, said the exercise was to assure Nigerians of the service’s commitment to safe lives.

    According to him, the APF was designed to build strong partnership and foster regional stability and security through formal alliances, partnership and exchange of ideas among African air forces.

    He said: “I strongly believe that the specific objectives of this five-day event which culminated in a free medical outreach to about 100 IDPs have been largely achieved.

    “I hope you will utilise the knowledge acquired to enhance the present effort at providing appropriate medical care in and outside the theatre of operation in the sub-region particularly to counter insurgency operations in the Lake Chad region and Northeastern Nigeria.

    “I particularly wish to express my gratitude to the United State Air Forces Europe Command for selecting Nigeria to co-host this event and to our sister African countries for coming here to share their experiences,” he said.

    In his remark, the Permanent Secretary (PS) Ministry of Defence, Danjuma Sheni said the programme was aimed at capacity building and mutual cooperation.

    He said the success in overcoming various security challenges confronting African countries depended on joint operation with neighbouring and allied countries.

    Sheni said: “This is more so as the enemy in today’s wars appear to be largely the same, terrorism, and its range of operation cuts across boundaries of nations. Immediate examples are the Boko Haram and Al-Shabbab insurgencies in the North East Nigeria and East Africa respectively.”

  • Court remands 12 over “Ile-Zik” kidnappers den

    Twelve suspected kidnappers including a woman, arrested by the police in connection with a kidnappers’ den at Ile-Zik Bus Stop in Ikeja, were yesterday  remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons on the orders of a Lagos magistrate.

    They include Hakeem Ogundele, 32; Noah Samuel, 25; Ayomide Olatunji, 44; Felix Matthew, 34; American Obodoyibo, 42; Shola Elemo, 32; and Adijat Mudashiru, 32.

    The rest are Tunde Akanji, 41; Adeoye Adekeye, 38; Patrick Onwubufor, 65, Samuel Iyede, 50; and Bright Amankwa, 36.

    Chief Magistrate Tajudeen Elias said the accused are to remain behind bars pending legal advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs).

    The “Ile Zik 12 men” were brought before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court on a three-count charge of conspiracy, attempted kidnap and possession of arms and ammunition.

    The bus stop is named after a four-storey building built by the first President of Nigeria, the late Dr Nnamidi Azikiwe.

    Another  alleged kidnappers’ hole had been  discovered a few days earlier at Ijaiye on the Lagos-Abeokuta Highway.

    Sergeant  Kehinde Omisakin, the police prosecutor, told the court yesterday  that the accused committed the offences on August  10 between 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. at Ile-Zik Bus Stop near Ajayi Farm in Ikeja on the Oshodi-Sango-Abeokuta Expressway.

    According to her, the 12 accused had conspired to kidnap some students of a nearby Girls Junior High School, but they luckily escaped.

    “Some school uniforms and notebooks of the students were found in possession of the accused.”

    Omisakin said one live ammunition, nine empty shells of expended ammunition, one kitchen knife and road maps were recovered from them.

    The accused pleaded innocence of the offences which contravened Sections 22, 330 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said  kidnapping and other related offences carry life imprisonment or capital punishment.

    The case was adjourned to Aug. 22.

  • Woman docked for calling ex-husband’s mother ‘witch’

    A woman,  Fati Mohammed, on Friday appeared before a Minna Magistrates’ Court, charged with calling  her  former mother-in-law, Fati Aliyu, a witch.

    The accused was arraigned in court following a direct criminal complaint filed by Aliyu.

    Aliyu alleged that Mohammed called her a witch after  demanding that she returned  the five-year-old child she had  for her former husband to her.

    According to the boy’s grandmother, the child had been on vacation with his mother.

    But when she  requested her to return him after the holiday,  the mother called her a witch.

    She prayed the court to order the accused to pay her N2million  in damages for defamation as well as order her to return her grandson who was put under her care.

    The accused, however, denied the charge preferred against her by the complainant.

    The presiding judge, Hassan Mohammed, advised the parties to give peace a chance and settle their differences amicably.

    Hassan adjourned the case till  Aug.  31 for further mention.

  • Chinese worker’s killer not my employee, says Lagos firm owner

    Chinese worker’s killer not my employee, says Lagos firm owner

    The killer of the Assistant Manager in the Greenworld Multilevel Marketing Company, Alice Xu was not staff of the company, the Chairman, Uzoukwu Frances Ngozi has said.

    Alice Xu who until his death was in charge of the Organic Fertilizer section of the company, Uzoukwu said was killed by one Ikechukwu Amos.

    She told The Nation in Lagos that Ikechukwu Amos was a friend to one Joseph Oshope who was the store keeper and employee of the company.

    According to her, Alice Xu was brutally murdered on the 16th of June, 2017 in the company premises adding the murder case is already in the police.

    The story was first published in a national newspaper (not The Nation) on June 19, wherein it was said that XU’s killer was an employee of the firm.

     She revealed that the said Ikechukwu Amos was not staff of the company but a friend to the store keeper who was accommodating him in the company’s boys’ quarter without the knowledge of management of the company.

    Uzoukwu disclosed that ‘’the store keeper who has been in the employ of the company for over five years, at a time had accommodation problem and he approached the company for help and the company in its generosity gave him accommodation in the boys’ quarter.

    ‘’There are two Chinese and five local staff in the company, two security men, a store keeper, sales girl and a cleaner, there is no way somebody can be working in the company and the management won’t know the person.

    “I don’t know about it, the Chinese people here don’t even know, a lot of distributors come here on daily basis. This is a very big mansion (about 12 bedroom mansion) we have one section of it where we have the Chinese, there is a place where they stay (Chinese house) in this Ikeja but when they have a lot of work to do they can spend a night doing it.

    According to her, the company has time limit for its work, because distributors earn bonuses at the end of every month and that day was actually the last day to gather all the sales in Nigeria and send the hard copy to China.

    “So she had so much work to do on that particular day and she had no other choice than to stay back, her colleague was on leave and she was just doing her work, and the security man Hassan Ahmed, took permission to go and pray as they were doing their Ramadan fasting, as that was their last day of prayer; so Ahmed the security man was out and that was how her killer cut her unawares”, she submitted.

    She said: “On that particular day we were all happily together but to my greatest surprise I got a call around 9pm that something terrible had happened in the company”

    “And When I rushed to the company the police at the Man Centre which is the closest police station around this area had already taken her body and when I got to the police and they showed me the killer I could not recognise him because I don’t know him, and I asked who are you, the police and everybody there were looking at me, they asked if he is my staff and I said no, he is not my staff”, she added.

  • Man allegedly beats neighbour to death with charm

    Man allegedly beats neighbour to death with charm

    MEN of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested one Olatunde Akapo for allegedly killing one of his neighbours, Augustine Ode at Ibogun Alapako Oke community in Ifo Local Government.

    The suspect was said to have beaten the 42-year-old Ode with a deadly charm during a scuffle leading to his death.

    Akapo was arrested after a brother to the deceased reported the incident to Ibogun Division.

     A minor disagreement between the duo had degenerated to a fight during which the suspect allegedly rushed to his room, and came out with a charm with which he used to beat the deceased, following which Ode fell down and subsequently died.

     The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ibogun Division, Nicholas Tamuno- Inam led detectives to the scene at Alapako Oke and the suspect was promptly arrested.

    The body of the deceased has been deposited at Ifo General Hospital morgue for autopsy.

     The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu has directed that the case be transferred to Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution of the suspect.

  • FRSC recovers 2 stolen vehicles in Calabar–Official

    THE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it recovered two stolen vehicles with the aid of its National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) in Calabar, Cross River.

    The Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja. NAN reports that NVIS is a database of all number plates generated and produced in the country. Kazeem said the vehicles, both Toyota Highlanders were allegedly stolen in Ibadan, Oyo and Aba in Abia on different dates respectively. According to him, the suspected buyers were caught when they took the vehicles for registration in their own names at the FRSC office in Calabar.

    He said in the process, the NVIS Desk Officer in Calabar detected disparities in the names of the original owners and those of the registration applicants. Kazeem said that one of the vehicles, stolen in 2014 was originally registered in the name of one Tobechukwu Okeke with plate number KSF533AC and chassis number JTEHF21A410031320. According to the statement, the vehicle was found on July 24, when the suspected buyer, Mrs Chika Onyeama, came to re-register it at the Calabar office. He said that in the process the NVIS desk officer discovered that the chassis number of the vehicle had already been registered in Okeke’s name.

    Kazeem said that second vehicle, previously registered in the name of one Omadewu Jeff with plate and chassis number YAB993BX and JTEEP21A040047924, was stolen in Aba, Abia in April. “The theft was discovered on July 21 when the suspected buyer came to register it, and the vehicle was recovered on July 25. “The Acting Sector Commander in Calabar, Lucky Ugenlo, disclosed that the suspected buyer of the second vehicle, Simon Peter, had a plate number KTA766GS already assigned to the vehicle. “In view of the successful recovery of the vehicles now in police custody with the suspected buyers, the Corps Marshal emphasised the need for every vehicle to have a comprehensive registration papers. “He added that it was only in this manner that they would easily be recovered when stolen,’’ Kazeem said.

  • Igbonla: MSSN rejoices, wants culprits jailed

    THE Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has congratulated the parents of rescued Lagos pupils. Its Amir (President), Dr Saheed Ashafa in a statement last night hailed the security operatives for their maturity in ensuring the safe release of the pupils.

    The Muslim students’ leader, however, urged security operatives to ensure the culprits were arrested and punished. He said: “It is glorious to say that after 64 days of heightened pressure on the police and other security operatives to secure the release of the students earlier than now, there is a success story at the end.

    “We should also commend the professionalism and maturity displayed by the police that brought this huge relief that climaxed the whole experience at the end of the day. The police must bring the culprits to justice. This is important to serve as deterrence to other ill-minded individuals planning to engage in the condemnable act of kidnapping.” He urged the Lagos State government to create avenues that would relieve the kidnapped pupils of the ‘horrible’ experience they must have gone through.

  • Police arrest Lagos hotelier over son’s controversial death

    THE Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, has launched an investigation into the death of one Edwin Owodunni, suspected to have been killed by his own father. Edwin, according to sources was living with his mother in Germany when his father suddenly invited him to attend his grandmother’s burial at his village in Owerri, Imo State.

    The Late Edwin

    His father, Esom Obi Obele, was said to have met a Yoruba lady in Germany, and Edwin was the only child produced by their marriage, shortly before he relocated to Nigeria. Obele, who is the owner of Approach Suites in Festac area of Lagos State, The Nation gathered is currently being detained at the FCID’s office in Alagbon, Ikoyi. His arrest followed a petition written by one of Edwin’s siblings to the police, accusing his father of complicity in the death of his son, who was said to have committed suicide. The 20-year-old, according to his brother, Jide Owodunni, came to Nigeria on March 16, 2017, to attend the burial ceremony of his paternal grandmother.

    According to a petition written by Jide entitled ‘’Petition of conspiracy, murder and stealing against Edwin Esom Obi Obele’’ dated July 10, 2017, the burial ceremony took place at Owerri, capital of Imo State on March 24. Edwin, who was scheduled to return to his base in Germany on April 7, later informed his mother on the telephone that he wanted to stay back to keep his father’s company for some weeks. The petition reads: ‘’So, he called on April to inform his mother that he has rescheduled his flight to May 12, (and) that he still wanted to spend more time with his father. That was the last time his mother in Germany heard from him. All efforts to reach Edwin’s father proved abortive. His father kept avoiding (telephone) calls and he later switched off his (telephone) lines. ‘’But to our surprise, the latest news we heard was that he(Edwin) committed suicide in his father’s village; we

    were told that he hanged himself. Through our private investigations, we suspected that the father (Obele) used his son(Edwin) for rituals because the message Edwin sent to his older brother in Germany (via whatsapp) was that they put a chain on him in his father’s village and the message has been printed out. We tried to ask more question from Edwin but he no longer respond, so we suspected that Edwin’s phone was seized away from him. The father (Obele) buried the corpse by himself without any family consent.’’ Jide added: ‘’Nobody was told about Edwin’s death, not even his mother’s family members heard anything about his demise until we got the news that he committed suicide by hanging at Owerri. His mother was also not told about the death of her son.’’

    Obele

    The Nation gathered that the police launched a manhunt for Obele following a petition written to the Force headquarters by his maternal relatives. Obele, however, turned himself in to the police last Thursday after the manager of his hotel was arrested. Confirming the story, an impeccable police source at the told The Nation that the suspect was being detained at the FCID. ‘’Yes. Our department (Homicide Section of FCID) is currently handling the matter. The suspect is in our custody and we are still carrying out investigation on the matter,’’ the source, who asked not to be named said. It was also gathered that detectives had been dispatched to the suspect’s hometown, in Owerri, to unravel the circumstances surrounding Edwin’s death, following which the matter will be charged to court at the completion of investigation.

  • 13 arrested over death of policeman, 3 others

    THE Anambra State Police Command has arrested 13 persons in connection with the Thursday murder of a policeman, a pregnant woman and her two children by over 100 alleged hoodlums in Onitsha. The AK-47 rifle of the deceased policeman was recovered from one of the arrested suspects,the police said.

    The command warned against a repeat of such violence, vowing to deal with any person or group that tries to take laws into his hands in the state. Spokesperson for the command, Nkeiruka Nwode, said “enough is enough” of unruly behaviour. The rampage was triggered by an attempt by policemen at a checkpoint on the Onitsha/Owerri highway in the commercial city to stop a tipper for a routine check.

    The driver of the vehicle was said to have lost control when he was flagged down,and then ran over the pregnant woman and her two children. Angered by the development, youths numbering over 100 stormed the check point and pursued the policemen who fled immediately after the incident and killed one of them. Some property of a motor company close to the scene were destroyed by the irate youth.

    Only the intervention of the Police restored normalcy. According to Nwode, the bodies of the four persons who lost their lives during the fracas had been deposited at the mortuary for post mortem examination. She equally said that the commissioner authorities had ordered a full scale investigation into the matter with a view to fishing out the culprits.

    She said: “Anambra state police command received a distress call that misguided elements numbering over 100 went on the rampage and attacked a police check point at Km 4/6 along Onitsha-Owerri road manned by visiting police mobile unit attached to 3 PMF Enugu.” She said the rioters killed Sergeant Uchenna Ezike, took away his AK-47 rifle, set ablaze four vehicles and destroyed the motor company “Following the distress call, police patrol teams led by DPO Okpoko rushed to the scene, restored normalcy in the area and arrested 13 suspects including one Paul Igwe whose custody the deceased police rifle was recovered” the command said.