The Nation Newspaper

Category: Crime Diary

  • How we deceived Abuja bizman with fake N12m transaction -Suspected fraudster

    How we deceived Abuja bizman with fake N12m transaction -Suspected fraudster

    The flamboyant lifestyle of 37-year-old Chinedu Anedu has landed him in trouble. Anedu, who was recently deported from South Africa, confessed that he went into crime to keep up with his flamboyant lifestyle.

    According to police source, Chinedu Anaedu and his gang member, Onyeka Nnamani, were arrested by the operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), for allegedly defrauding an Abuja-based businessman.

    The suspects, who were alleged to be members of a notorious syndicate, based in Lagos, were alleged to have deceived their latest victim, one Chief Obiekwe, with a fake business transaction, worth N12million. The victim was alleged to have parted with N200,000 before he realised that he had fallen into the trap of fraudsters.

    The source revealed that before the two suspects were arrested, the victim had told the police that a driver he hired from Lagos called severally, demanding for money to settle security personnel who impounded his vehicle.

    He said he was  made to believe that the driver was sending a fridge packed with money from his business partner for a transaction in Abuja. But surprisingly, hours later, he received a distress call from the driver alleging that Custom officials had impounded his car and would only release the car if a certain amount of money was paid. He complied and allegedly sent N200,000 to the driver to settle the matter.

    However, the victim was said to have suspected a foul play when the driver called him again to bring more money to settle NDLEA officials, who he said had confiscated the fridge containing the sum of N12million meant for a business transaction.

    In a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Chief Obiekwe narrated his suspicion and IGP directed IRT operatives to investigate the matter.

    In the course of investigation, it was revealed that all the calls, said to be from Lokoja, Kogi State, actually emanated from Ejigbo in Lagos State. The police later tracked down and arrested the two suspects at their hideout in Lagos.

    Sounding repentant, Chinedu, who pretended to be a driver, claimed that his duty was to call their targets, pretending that he was arrested. He said: “I was based in South Africa before they arrested me for selling hard drugs. I spent seven years in prison and was finally deported in 2014. With the little money that I have saved, I got married and decided to turn a new leaf.

    “It was not easy because of the flamboyant lifestyle while I was in South Africa.  I had no choice, but to find a way to survive. I went to Alaba International market, and started to hustle. It was not easy at all and I needed to survive at all cost. While in South Africa, I also learnt one or two things about internet fraud, but at Alaba market, their style is completely different. We were doing low key fraud and our targets were greedy people. We would sell an idea that is fraudulent and our target who is also greedy will buy into it”.

    Speaking on the incident that landed him in trouble, Chinedu claimed that it was Okechukwu, an apprentice at Alaba market, that brought the job. “Chief normally comes to the market to buy goods. So, it was easy to get his number. What we did was to call him and convinced him that one of the apprentices in Alaba wanted to buy land in Abuja. He was told that the apprentice had wrecked his master’s business and was looking for where to invest his money.

    “Okechukwu, who made the call, sold the idea to Chief that if the money, which is about N12million, gets to him, he should look for land that could cost about N1million and buy for him. He agreed with Okechukwu that the N11million would be split between them. He was convinced that the apprentice was a fool and does not know the cost of land in Abuja.

    “It was Onyeka who played the role of the apprentice. He called Chief and acted as if he does not know anything about it. He was the one who suggested that he would love to send cash to Chief ,who is based in Abuja. To further confuse Chief, he told him that he would want to pay cash so that no one can trace the money, which he had been saving at home, to him. If he is not greedy he would not jump at it. He had already accepted to defraud the apprentice. So, it was very easy to convince him to part with some money.”

    Continuing, he said: “We agreed that I should pack the money inside a new fridge and send it to him. I posed as the driver and called to inform him that I was on my way to Abuja. He kept calling to find out my location. Five hours later, I called and told him that Customs stopped me at Lokoja and were threatening to take the car to their office. He requested to speak with the Custom officer and I gave the phone to one of our members. He told him that he will confiscate the car until I produce custom documents. He offered to pay N200, 000 to release the car, which he paid that very day.

    “I assured him that I am free and on my way to Abuja. After about an hour, I called him again that NDLEA officials had arrested me and they were insisting that they will open the fridge. At this point, Okechukwu also called him pretending to be panicking over my supposed arrest. He was told to bring N300, 000 so that NDLEA will not open the fridge. Initially, he agreed, but when he was wasting time, we knew that something had gone wrong and switched off all the phones that we used to contact him. All these calls were made from our location at Ejigbo.”

    Begging for mercy, Chinedu promised to refund his own share from the loot, which he said was N20, 000. “My only share was N20, 000. I was shocked when police traced and arrested me. I am sorry. But the truth is that Chief was preparing himself to steal N11million from the apprentice if the money had arrived as he thought.”

  • Father of triplets absconds

    Father of triplets absconds

    The rivulets of tears that ran down Idowu Yusuf’s brow on Tuesday revealed that all is not well with the petty trader. Her husband, Isiaka Yusuf, allegedly absconded from home shortly after she was delivered of a set of triplets on April 6, 2016.

    Speaking with our correspondent during a visit to their residence at No 4, Agesinjaweifa Street in the Temidire area of Alagbado, a Lagos suburb, Idowu seeks help from kind-hearted Nigerians to take care of the triplets named Ameerat,  Ahmed and Zainab.

    She also cried out for help in search of her husband, a native of Osi community near Omu Aran, Kwara State.

    It was learnt that the couple already has two children- Yusuf,10, and Mariam,7,before the birth of the triplets.

    The Nation learnt that Idowu’s husband, a cab operator, has been out of job lately.

    Recalling the events leading to the birth of the children and how her husband bolted, Idowu said: “ He left me in the hospital shortly after  I was delivered of the babies. Since then, he has refused to come home to see his children. I learnt that he stays in the Ajah area of Lagos but I have not set my eyes on him.

    “Each time we called him on his mobile phone, he would tell us that he cannot come home because he had no money to give me for the upkeep of the children. Even his relatives have fruitlessly begged him on the telephone to come home.

    “He used to be a very caring husband until the birth of our triplets. In fact, he started misbehaving after a scan showed that I was carrying a set of triplets in my womb. He did not even wait to name his new babies or show up when we invited some Muslim clerics to conduct the naming ceremony right in the hospital”.

    Idowu explained that a private hospital where the children were born had demanded the sum of N500, 000 for the delivery done through caesarian operation.

    “I was delivered of the children through Ceasarian operation and the hospital bill is N500, 000. It was through the assistance of friends, relatives and neighbours that we were able to pay the sum of N250, 000 out of the money. We had to sign an undertaking to pay up by the end of this month. As I speak, we don’t even have money or hope of paying up.”

    The 37-year-old native of Ogbomosho, Oyo State, asked for help from members of public saying: “ I want to appeal to kind people to come to my assistance because I don’t have money to take care of the babies. I don’t know who to approach again for money after my relatives and friends contributed part of the hospital bill.

    “Things are getting worse for me as I could barely feed myself not to talk of the babies. As I speak, I have not had breakfast and the babies take only breast milk. My husband ran away because he lost his job as cab operator after his car broke down beyond repair. He has since bolted and left us to our fate. I am begging Nigerians to come to my aid in the name of God.”

    She added: “I also want to urge my husband to consider coming home to see his babies.”

    In his words, the landlord of the house, Elder Ramoni Birijo, said:”Yusuf should endeavour to come home. We all know that things are tough for him since he lost his job, but abandoning his wife and babies is not a good option to run away from his responsibilities.

    “He moved into my house about seven years ago and was paying his rent as and when due until he became jobless. He has not paid me for more than one year now but I cannot eject him because he used to be a very good tenant. He should come home for the sake of his new babies and I urge Nigerians with good heart to assist them in taking care of the babies.”

    In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Yusuf said he took the painful decision to abandon his wife and babies after doctors demanded N500, 000 as hospital bill.

    ”May God, not turn our joy into sadness. I had to abscond after doctors at a private hospital, where my wife was delivered of the triplets, demanded a whopping sum of N500, 000 as cost of carrying out Caesarian operation. It was my wife’s relatives who contributed about N250, 000 as part payment before my wife and babies were discharged.

    “It was not my intention to abandon my family, but I lost my job as cab operator after the engine of the car I was driving knocked down and the owner has refused to change or repair it. I felt ashamed of myself and decided to stay away since I don’t have any means of taking care of my wife and children.”

    Idowu can be reached on 07046218282, while donations can be forwarded to Skye Bank account number 3030912481 with the name Yusuf Idowu Deborah.

  • Ondo community spoils for war with popular Ekiti herbalist for allegedly forcing man to sleep with daughter

    Ondo community spoils for war with popular Ekiti herbalist for allegedly forcing man to sleep with daughter

    A famous herbalist in a popular Ekiti town (names withheld) , has been accused of allegedly forcing one of his customers, one Clement, to make love to his daughter in a bid to exorcise ‘evil spirit’ from her body.

    Clement was said to have taken his 35-year-daughter Busayo, to the herbalist some time in May last year, for the purpose of casting out the evil spirit.

    It was learnt that Clement left his hometown, Ogbagi Akoko in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, with his daughter to see the herbalist at the Ekiti town.

    The death of Busayo on April 17, 2016, has sparked tension in Ogbagi with the chiefs of the town spoiling for war with the Ekiti-based herbalist.

    Community leaders in Ogbagi alleged that the herbalist, who runs a radio programme to promote his work, ordered Clement to have an illicit sex with his daughter after giving them some fetish objects.

    Clement, allegedly confessed to the Ogbagi chiefs that herbalist ordered him to caress his daughter’s private part and suck her breast to ward off spirit husband.

    Although the herbalist denied knowing Clement, the latter, however, maintained that he is in possession of a consultation card issued to him by the herbalist.

    To prove his innocence, Ogbagi chiefs has challenged the herbalist to come over to their community and swear to a traditional oath.

    One of the traditional chiefs of Ogbagi, who identified himself simply as Chief Oshodi, described the incident as an abomination that has terrible consequences in their community.

    He said: “Clement and his daughter Busayo are both from our town, Ogbagi-Akoko. He fathered Busayo when he was very young and later separated with her mother, so they have not been living together for a long time now. However, because a child had cemented their relationship, Clement still related with his daughter and her mother in spite of the separation.

    “When on April 17, 2016, Busayo who had been sick in a strange way, suddenly died under strange circumstances, some family members cried out, alleging that he must have been the cause of his daughter’s sudden death.

    “He was also putting up very strange behaviour. It was gathered that shortly before Busayo passed on, she confessed to her mother that a strange thing had happened between her and her father when they visited the herbalist at the Ekiti town.

    “She said that her father had asked her to follow him to the herbalist’s place and described the herbalist’s place at the Ekiti town, as one built on a small hill and painted red. She said they met an elderly man at the gate of the building who directed them to the herbalist’s secretary.

    “Busayo said further that on getting to the building, a lady asked them to pay a sum of N1,000 as consultation fee, which they did before they were allowed to see the herbalist. She added that there were expensive vehicles, including a limousine and Hummer jeep, inside the premises.

    “The young lady added that the herbalist turned out to be the same old man they had met at the gate who had directed them to his secretary. She said when her father explained to him the motive for their visit, he told him to pay a sum of N135,000 for a permanent cure to his ailment as many fetish materials would be procured for the treatment.

    “Busayo said that they pleaded with the herbalist to reduce the fee as they had only N15,000 on them and could only part with N10,000 because they would need the remaining N5,000 for transport back home.

    “After much persuasion, Busayo said the herbalist accepted and gave some concoction to Clement and asked him to ‘forcibly’ vomit something by opening his mouth three times. She said after this, her father vomited a strange object, which the herbalist showed, her saying that it was part of the evil deposits that caused Busayo’s illness.

    “Having done that, Busayo said the herbalist took his father into a room for a while. She said it was then she took a quick glance round the fetish room where the herbalist hosted them and saw fetish objects that made the room look like a dumpsite.

    “She said there were calendars showing pictures of some prominent pastors of some popular churches in the country; another calendar displaying a caricature of Jesus Christ and some other religious materials belonging to both Christians and Moslems.

    “Busayo alleged further that when the herbalist returned to the room with her father, he told her that she was afflicted with a spiritual problem which he identified as spirit husband. The girl said she believed what the herbalist said because a certain cleric had earlier told her the same thing, adding that with such problem, she wouldn’t have progress in life.

    “According to Busayo, the herbalist told them that her problem would be solved only if her father gets intimate with her by caressing her private part and sucking her breast, an act the herbalist allegedly commanded that they start doing immediately.

    “She said that at first, they refused to do such thing decrying that it was an abomination, but the herbalist insisted that it was what must be done so that Busayo’s problem would be solved once and for all. He also wanted them to start doing it right there.

    “The young woman said she had to reluctantly accept and her father did to her as instructed by the herbalist. She added that the herbalist told them to repeat the act again around midnight.”

    According to Chief Oshodi, Busayo alleged that she noticed that since she had carried out the herbalist’s instruction with her father, her health condition had been depreciating. She soon became critically ill and was emaciating. Her once robust and youthful body turned lean and scary.

    Chief Oshodi added that the young woman couldn’t make the confessions until her condition worsened to that critical stage because of the custom in the community, which places an open disgrace on anyone who commits such abomination.

    Oshodi describes the punishment: “The culprit would be paraded round the town, while many would sing shameful songs against him or her”, adding that Busayo’s condition worsened until her death on April 17.

    “It was this confession that angered members of the community and made them to apprehend her father and forced him to confess also. After he was paraded round the town as it is our custom, Clement confessed and corroborated what his late daughter had said. That is why we are telling the whole world about this development now, “Chief Oshodi said.

    When reporters called the herbalist on phone and asked for his reactions to the allegations, he said: “I don’t know those people. They were never my clients. In fact, if you come to check the records of my visitors which I take daily, you won’t find their names there because they were never here. “the herbalist later told reporters to speak to a man he identified as his lawyer whom he handed over the phone. But on requesting for the identity of the man, he turned out to be a freelance radio journalist (names withheld) in Ekiti. In what appeared like covering up for the herbalist, the freelance broadcaster replied that the allegations by the Ogbagi-Akoko council of chiefs against the herbalist were untrue.  When asked while he was defending the herbalist since he was not his lawyer, the freelance broadcaster said he was entitled to his own opinion about the herbalist and maintained that all that has been alleged against the herbalist was false.

    Reacting to the herbalist’s denial of the allegations, Chief Oshodi said: “They say the herbalist said he doesn’t know Clement and Busayo , that the two of them never came to his house for help, in spite of the girl (Busayo)’s vivid description of his house and sacred rooms?

    “Anyway, we will only accept it if he (the herbalist) can come to our palace and for oath-taking to clear himself of the allegations. Let me tell you, no matter how powerful he is as an herbalist, if what both Busayo and Clement said about him is true and he comes here to take the oath, he would not survive it in seven days.

    “We are not arguing with him, if truly he is a herbalist with clean hands, let him come to our king’s palace for the oath, he would simply put his head against the royal seat of our traditional monarch, then we will know who is telling lies or the truth in just seven days.”

    The Nation learnt that the matter was not reported to the police because the community leaders in Ogbagi Akoko prefer to use traditional method to adjudicate on the matter.

  • Fire outbreak kills Ogogoro seller, three children

    Four members of a family have been killed in a fire that gutted their home in the Isale Awori area of Atan in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    The incident happened on Monday April 25, 2016.

    The incident was allegedly caused by a local gin popularly called Ogogoro.

    The fire, which ravaged the family’s apartment left the woman, her two children and grandchild dead.

    It was learnt that the late woman was a local gin (Ogogoro) seller.

    The fire was said to have started around 8pm when the late woman was trying to brew the local gin when she ran out of stock.

    The identity of the woman and her children were not known at press time.

    A cross section of neighbours approached by our correspondent declined information about their identity.

    Sources, who spoke in confidence, said the woman’s son who tried to save his mother was also burnt to death.

    It was also gathered that a nursing daughter of the woman and her baby also died in the fire incident while she was trying to save her mother.

    A neighbour who asked not to be named said:”I don’t know the woman’s name but we all call her Iya Oloti because she sold a local gin called Ogogoro.

    “She was trying to brew the drink and got burnt while trying to light the matches. The fire outbreak also consumed their apartment; nothing was salvaged in the incident.”

    “The woman’s son, daughter and granddaughter were also burnt to death as neighbours fruitlessly tried to put out the fire.”

    A family who did not want her name in print said: “This a tragic incident and we would not have ordinarily spoken to the press about it. However, we felt that it is important for people to learn to take precautions to prevent fire outbreak, hence, we decided to talk about it in the media.”

  • Iyana-Ilogbo Ogun ritual killers den: Police arraign petrol dealer, two others

    Barely one month after a ritualists’ den was uncovered in an abandoned Ayokunnu Filling Station in Iyana Ilogbo axis of Sango Ota, Ogun State, police have arrested the owner of the filling station, Alhaji Fatai Ayokunnu.

    It was learnt that the popular businessman was arrested penultimate week after a manhunt. Two suspects, Babatunde Taofeek and Hammed Hassan, were earlier arrested with a lifeless body at the scene.

    It was learnt that the suspects were arraigned in a court in Ota, a suburb of Ogun and have been remanded in prison custody.

    Pandemonium broke out in Iyana Ilogbo community on April 2, 2016, when angry residents stormed the filling station after the ritualists’ den was uncovered.

    It was learnt that the suspects were exposed in their futile attempt to recapture two persons who had initially been taken to the den to be killed for ritual purposes.

    Vigilant passers-by were said to have contacted men of Sango Ota Police Division, who swung into action and apprehended the suspects. Other members of the ritual gang were said to have escaped.

    A search conducted by angry residents on the building led to the discovery of decomposing human parts.

    Confirming the arraignment of the suspects, the spokesman of Ogun Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi said: “Yes. The owner of the filling station was arrested a few weeks ago. He has since been arraigned before an Ota Magistrate’s Court alongside two other suspects arrested with a lifeless body at the abandoned filling station.”

  • Rivers police parade notorious cult leader, members, for alleged kidnaping

    Rivers police parade notorious cult leader, members, for alleged kidnaping

    THE Rivers State Police Command yesterday paraded a notorious cult leader, Mitchel Tamuno, and two of his gang members, for alleged cult activities and kidnapping of a 14-year-old JS2 female student of a Unity School in the state.

    The victim, (names withheld), was reportedly abducted on her way from an evening church service on April 14, 2016, around her Abuloma residence in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of the state. She was later taken to Elimgbu Community in Obio/Akpor LGA of the state, where she was held for four days.

    Her captors demanded a N10 million ransom from her father, who is a Pastor. The sum was yet to be raised when she escaped from the kidnappers’ den, and was taken to a nearby

    Her abduction and escape led to the arrest of the criminal gang, which allegedly held sway within the Trans-Amadi and Abuloma areas of the state.

    Parading the criminals, the Spokesman for the command, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP), said Tamuno, leader of the dreaded Iceland cult group and his members have long terrorised the area with their criminal activities, including kidnapping and collecting of huge ransom from  innocent residents,  including their own relatives.

    He said one of the suspects, Godwin Pina, who was also revealed as the informant in several kidnap cases in the area, as well as the student’s, was arrested when he went to cash the sum of N50, 000 paid into their(kidnappers) account for the feeding and upkeep of their victim, pending when the ransom money would be raised and paid.

    According to Muhammad, four AK-47 rifles and hundreds rounds of live ammunitions were recovered from them. He assured that peace and tranquility have returned to the area since the arrest of the criminals and residents could now sleep with their two eyes closed.

     He also disclosed that that, last month, the Police arrested 70 suspected kidnappers, cultists and armed robbers across the state. A total of 25 of them were killed in a shootout with the Police, and 11 AK 47 rifles, 17 other assorted firearms and 480 different live ammunition were recovered from the suspected criminals.

    He assured that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as possible.

    All the three suspects spoken to admitted the crime and expressed regrets for their negative lifestyle.

    Earlier in the briefing, the Police spokesman said: “On April 14, 2016, a young girl of about 14 years, was kidnapped while she was on her way back from church and was taken to an uncompleted building in Elimgbu, Port Harcourt. Her captors kept her there for about four days while they were calling for ransom from her parents.

    “While the kidnappers were fast asleep in the day time, the girl saw a ladder and used it to scale through the fence and escaped. She walked through the forest till she began to hear sound of vehicle and traced it to the road where she waved a vehicle to stop.

    “The driver stopped and she told the driver that she escaped from kidnappers’ den and would want to contact her father, who is a pastor in Bayelsa State.

    “The Good Samaritan called the victim’s father, who directed that she be taken to any nearby police station. Before then, the kidnappers had already called the victim’s parents, demanding N10 million ransom. They equally forwarded an account detail to the victim’s father.

    “One of the kidnapers (Godwin Pina) went to the bank immediately he noticed that the sum of N50,000 had been paid into the account for the upkeep of their victim, pending when the ransom demanded would be raised. Before then, the police ensured that the account was blocked. He was arrested at the bank.

    “When the suspect was arrested, he then opened up that their boss, Mitchel, was staying in Okrika. Then the Anti-kidnapping unit moved to Abam in Okrika and arrested Mitchel and 10 other boys in his house. Two AK 47 rifles were recovered from him. On interrogation, he (Mitchel) said he had other two AK 47 rifles with one Iyalla Appolos somewhere in Ozuboko area of Abuloma, in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of the state. We moved in there and Iyalla was arrested and the two AK 47 rifles were recovered from him.

    “Iyalla does not participate in kidnapping, but his task is to release the guns to the gang for operations. But whenever they embark on any successful operation and are back, they give him (Iyalla), part of the ransom.”

    “Pina confessed that the kidnap gang also planned and executed a female oil mogul in the same Abuloma area and collected N9 million ransom.

    “They also disclosed that Mitchel’s Toyota Camry was always used to move their kidnap victims, including one Chief Ajie from Abuloma and Pina’s Uncle’s wife. Pina gave information to kidnappers for his uncle’s wife to be kidnapped. N5 million was paid before she was released.” He said.

    In an interview with newsmen, Pina,  a 23-year old labourer, said: “I am being held by the police because of the kidnapping crime I committed. I planned the kidnapping of a secondary school girl who lives around my Abuloma neighbourhood.

    “After I had arranged the kidnap, my friends who are my gang members executed the plan while i stayed away so that the girl will not recognize me. Her elder sister was my girlfriend. I only monitored her movement and released the information to them on my handset telephone.

    “They (my friends), took her away in a tricycle (keke), on her way from church to an uncompleted building at Elimgbu area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

    “Although I never showed up at the place she was kept, but I was constantly in touch with them through phone conversations. I told them to ensure they keep my share of the expected N2 million ransom.

    “I dropped out of school in Senior Secondary 2, (SS 2) because I had no sponsor.  I am a product of single parenting; my parents are no longer together, I was raised by my mother in a batcher (makeshift), house, while my father got married to another woman, so I started to struggle on my own early in life.”

    Pina also explained how his criminal gang was formed, “I am a member of Iceland cult group, which Mitchel Tamuno, one of the suspects paraded leads. I met my friends in that cult group. I do both cultism and kidnapping.

    “Mitchel is the number one man in the Iceland game. His territory stretched between trans-Amadi and Abuloma axis. He is the one in charge of the area and is accountable for all of our activities in these areas. He is the first person to get information of every cult related activity in the area and then inform us. He was aware of all the kidnappings we carried out and he receives a share of the ransom from any that went successfully.

    “I do not hold any post in the group. I am only a ‘boy’ in the group. My friends have not yet been arrested. They are three in number. We are four in the gang. After the victim’s escape, they called and informed me on phone. The names of my friends are Bobo me, Francis and Collins.”

    My arrest

    “I was arrested in a bank where I went to withdraw the N50, 000 we asked the victim’s family to pay for her feeding before they will pay the ransom money.

    “As at the time I went to withdraw the cash, i did not know that the victim had escaped from the place she was kept.”

    The suspect also confessed to other kidnappings his gang carried out. “Apart from this my neighbour, my gang was also responsible for the kidnap of one female illegal oil bunkerer and a Chief in Abuloma. Bbut I was not directly involved in those kidnapping activities. It was my friends that planned and executed it. But they told me about it.

     “The victim was not my girlfriend, but her elder sister was. It was because i did not want her killed after ransom had been paid that I stayed away from the picture, so she would not identify and report me to the police.”

    The cult leader, Tamuno, who is a 27 years old fish farmer from Okrika Local Government Area of the state, admitted to all that was alleged against him and regretted his criminal lifestyle.

    He described his involvement in criminality as a “big disgrace” to his family. He appealed for forgiveness and asked the government to grant him another chance, stressing that he was ready to repent from his negative lifestyle and turn a new leaf.

    Narrating his experience, he said, “I was in the house before my ‘boy’ CC, ( Iyalla Appolos) came with policemen and arrested me. It was when I got to the police station that I was told that he (CC), and other boys went kidnapped somebody in my area and members of the vigilante group on duty caught them and identified him (CC), as one of my boys. I am a cultist and leader of the Iceland cult group. CC is actually a member of my cult group.”

    Asked why cultists kill innocent people, including none-cultists, he said, “In my Iceland group, we do not shade innocent blood, we don’t kill innocent people. We only kill those that come to kill us in defence of our lives.

    The leader identified the four AK47 rifles displayed at the scene of the parade as belonging to his cult group. “These four AK47 displayed here belong to our cult group. We bought them from one Mr. Ifeanyi from Aba in Abia State at the rate of N250, 000 and N280, 000, but it has been a long time we acquired them.

    Asked what they use the guns for, he said, “We use them for our cult activities and to fight members of the Greenland cult groups. They are our opponents and we always fight over who dominates the territory. Apart from these four guns, my group has no other guns.”

    The leader denied the involvement of his group in the recent cruel practice by cultists in the state to kill and either burn the remains of their victims or chop off their heads, but believed that those that do such are doing it to cause more pains on their rival cult members.

    On the number of persons he has killed since he joined the group in 2006, he said: “I do not know how many of our opponents I have killed because we fight once in a while. We fight and kill each other only when we have information against them, and they also come after us whenever they got information against us. It will be difficult to know the number of persons that died in the fights.

    “If I am released now, I will renounce cultism and concentrate on my fish farm business. I am a fish farmer.”.

    He also gave insight into the cause of the incessant cult wars in the state. “We fight mostly when our rival cult members attack and kill our own member(s). When such happens, we will do everything possible to fight back and kill them to cause them more pains than they caused us. Then they will also fight back and so on.

     “At this point, all that is paramount to us is to defend our members and our cult group. All appeal to any of the fighting group to stay reprisal attack will fail on deaf ear, especially when the victim is someone very close to the leaders’ heart.”

    The cult leader, who is a father of one, said he regretted his actions and noted that his involvement in cultism is a big disgrace to his family, but did not tell us how prominent his family is in the state and his Okrika native home. Tamuno is a common name in Okrika.

    Also interviewed was the group’s Armourer Apollos  Iyalla, who denied being a cult member. He, however confessed to be the keeper of the gang’s guns.

    Iyalla, an undergraduate of Marine Engineering, from the Metropolitan University, said  Tamuno is his cousin and childhood friend. He claimed that it was for this reason that he accepted to keep the guns for the group, but not as their member.

     “I believe that I am not a cultist. I was arrested by the police because I happen to be in possession of two of these firearms displayed.

    “Mitchel is my cousin and he gave me the guns to keep for him and I accepted to keep them for him, even after knowing what they do with them. I did it because of my relationship and closeness with him and also for fear of the unknown.”

  • How my stepfather defiled me, by eight- year-old girl

    How my stepfather defiled me, by eight- year-old girl

    AN eight-year-old girl defiled by her stepfather, Mr Happiness Essien, claimed that he started having carnal knowledge of her last year.

    The Basic Four pupil narrated her ordeal to The Nation on the premises of the Esther Child Rights Foundation, an NGO in the Akowonjo area of Lagos where her mother first reported the case. Recalling the initial experience, she said: “It happened in the room at daytime.  It was during the holiday, and my mummy went out, so it was just me and Uncle Happiness at home. When I shouted, he told me to shut up. He said I should not tell my mummy, that if I tell her, he would stop giving me money.”

    The minor, who spoke in a subdued tone, confessed that the accused had sex with her up to six times and threatened her not to disclose the deed to anyone. She was compelled to open up on a recent trip to Benin with her mother when the latter discovered unusual developments in her child’s body. The mother, a 30-year-old graduate of political science from the University of Benin who preferred not to give her name, said she became suspicious when bubbly sounds emanated from her daughter’s vagina. “When I started noticing that she was farting through her vagina, I knew someone was molesting her. So I threatened to report her to my brother and she got scared. When I asked her who was doing it, she said it was Uncle Happiness (my husband), and the food in her hands dropped”.

    The mother added that peculiar movements between her husband and 8-year-old daughter raised initial misgiving. “Sometimes,” she said, “when I return to the house unexpectedly, I get to knock for a very long time before the door would be opened. The excuse she usually gave for the delay is that she was playing games with Uncle Happiness. There was another time I came back to the house and she was tying towel, even though she had her bath before I left. I accused her, and the man came out to say he told her to go to the bathroom since she complained that her body was itching.”      An intuition that the person molesting her daughter might be her husband preceded the development but the mother wanted the girl to confirm her hunch. Fighting back tears, the woman who is nursing a nine-month-old son for the accused, said the sordid left her all but broken. “I carried her for 11 months and two weeks. I dropped out of school when I had her. My mates graduated in 2008 but I had to graduate in 2012 because I wanted to take care of her. I forfeited my travelling out plans because of her.”

    The girl had been taken to the Mirabel Rape Centre in LASUTH where various tests and treatment were conducted on her.

    The accused has since been charged to court. The 31-year-old man who works as a marketer with SKF Company was charged to an Ikeja magistrate court on Thursday. He was arrested after the mother of the victim reported the case to the police station in Afonka, Shasha, Egbeda.

    It was learnt that the chief magistrate, Mr Tajudeen Elias, remanded him in the Kirikiri Prison and adjourned the case till May 25 for Directorate of Public Prosecution’s legal advice.

    Mrs Esther Ogwu, the founder of Esther Child Rights Foundation, the NGO advocating retribution for the victim, said she is bent on pursuing the case to a logical end. She said: “We have been seeing several cases of children being molested, and it is very sad. We are watching to ensure justice is done. As far as rape issue is concerned, it is a crime in Lagos state. It is not something you can beg for. Why a lot of people don’t come out is because they are afraid of the trauma. So I think, for now, the most important thing is for the accused to face the wrath of the law.” The victim’s mother, however, appealed to the public for her safety and the financial responsibility of catering to her two children. “Ever since the case has been on, I have been noticing strange movements around my house,” she said. “Many times, some people would just come and shine torchlight in the middle of the night. My husband’s family has been causing uproar. I believe they are also waging a spiritual battle against me because, as I speak to you now, I am not myself.”

  • 100-yr-old father of ex-Mobil staff cries out

    100-yr-old father of ex-Mobil staff cries out

    After a series of letters written to the authorities of the Nigeria Police, Pa Eno Umanaowo yesterday appealed to Nigerians to help locate his missing daughter, Eunice Unanaowo.

    In tears while speaking with newsmen in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, the 100-year-old noted that the police might be doing their best but the result was yet to manifest. His daughter’s whereabouts had defied all understanding and explanation, he said. “I implore the security agencies and the government to unravel this mystery and rescue my daughter.”

    Ms Unanaowo, a former contract staff with Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), hails from Atibe community, Afaha Eket in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. By family accounts, the 34-year-old victim was allegedly seized and taken to an unknown destination on February 4, 2016 by a business associate, one Chigozie Chinwuba.

    It was gathered that the suspect, who has since been arrested, is currently undergoing interrogation at the Zone 6 Headquarters in Calabar, Cross River State, where the case had been transferred to. Worried by the slow pace of the investigation and prosecution of the matter, the family petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, demanding justice, to no avail.

    The two-paragraph petition entitled: Re – Case of Abduction of Eunice Eno Udo by Chigozie Chinweuba, stated that the suspect abducted her in the process of transacting a business deal with her.

    In addition, Pa Unanaowo said: “Chigozie’s father is a policeman. Chigozie was transferred from Itam Police Station to the State Headquarters, Ikot Akpanabia and was there until last week when the Zonal Office of the Nigeria Police took over. “Sometime in the month of March, 2016, the State CID took him to the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Uyo to secure his remand at the Prison Custody. While at the court premises, the IPO received instructions directing that he be brought back to the police station. He has neither been prosecuted nor has he helped the police to locate my daughter. This is my plight.

    “I have written several petitions to the police. The personal details of the suspect are hardly known. He has given the police false addresses but the police cannot even use his father, who is a policeman, to locate his house and search the same. Let the general public help to locate Eunice Unanaowo.”

    Contacted, the Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Cordelia Nwawe, confirmed the matter. She said the case is in court. ASP Nwawe, however, promised to name the court in which the suspect is being tried.

    The Paramount Ruler of Eket, Edidem Etim Abia, urged the security agencies to do all within their powers to ensure the return of Ms Eunice Unanaowo unhurt.

    The monarch said: “This is very unfortunate and sad. It looks like the authorities are helpless since February, 2016. In a situation like this, there is tendency for one to think that the police is compromised. The suspect should be charged to court. We don’t know if the girl has been murdered.”

  • Lebanese man arrested for faking Nigerian citizenship

    Lebanese man arrested for faking Nigerian citizenship

    The Police Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, has arrested a 42-year-old Lebanese man, Rami El Masri, for alleged forgery and attempting to deceive a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) that he was a Nigerian citizen.

    El Masri, who it was learnt, owns two construction companies on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, is accused of forging a confirmation letter representing himself as a Nigerian citizen by birth.

    He was arraigned yesterday before Mrs. Joy Ugbomiko of Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Igbosere, on a three-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and uttering.

    Prosecuting Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Susan Ezema told the court that Masri committed the alleged offences on December 15, 2008 and November 19, 2014, at No. 6, Oniru Street, Apapa, and No. 13, Milverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    She alleged that the defendant and others still at large conspired and forged a Letter of Confirmation of Nigerian citizenship with Reference No. MIA/NAT 382/1 dated December 15, 2008.

    Ezema said: “The letter was forged on December 15, 2008 and the defendant fraudulently presented himself as a Nigerian citizen, a representation he knew to be false, with intent that it be acted upon as genuine in Nigeria.

    “On November 19, 2014, at the Police Special Fraud Unit at No. 13, Milverton Road, Ikoyi, the defendant knowingly and fraudulently uttered the aforesaid false letter of confirmation as if it is genuine to Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Martin Nwogoh, as if it was a genuine document”.

    According to the prosecutor, the defendant presented the letter to CSP Nwogoh, who is attached to the Special Fraud Unit, with the intention that it be acted upon as genuine in Nigeria.

    The offences, she added, contravened Sections 363 (3), 363 (4) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The defendant denied the charge.

    Magistrate Ugbomiko granted him bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties each in the like sum. Both sureties must be gainfully employed and be company directors or have property anywhere in Lagos State, while their addresses and places of business must also be verified.

    The case was adjourned till June 16 for mention.

  • Police arrests Hijab-wearing robber

    Police arrests Hijab-wearing robber

    The Niger State Police Command has arrested a suspected robber, Gideon Ezechukwu, who allegedly uses the Hijab as camouflage during operations.

     

    ASP Bala Elkanah, Police Public Relation Officer in the state, made this known on Thursday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

     

    “On April 13, 2016 at about 6.00am one Gideon Ezechukwu of Dutsen Kura Gwari, Minna who dressed in women hijab was arrested by the police.

     

    “The suspect was arrested while trying to escape with an allegedly stolen red colour Jincheng motorcycle (rubber rubber),’’ he said.

     

    Elkana said that the motorcycle belong to one Mohammed Idris of same area.

     

    He said that investigation so far has revealed five accomplices who confessed to the crime, adding that one Yahaya Mohammed was the soothsayer to the suspect.

     

    Elkanah added that another suspect, Bala Usman served as spy for the suspected robbers before an operation.

     

    He said that three other suspects Nwoke Osita, Ogonna Peter and Onyeka Nnoli kept the alleged stolen items.

     

    Elkana said that items recovered from the suspects included a ladies Jincheng motorcycle, four bags containing wrappers, one washing machine, refrigerator, gas cylinder, DVD machine, charms, weaved artificial hair and hijab.

     

    A resident of Dutse Kura Gwari, Garba Bello, told NAN that most robberies in the area occur in the early hours of the morning.

     

    “There have been complains of robbery by neighbours whenever they come back from the early morning prayers. Unfortunately, nobody suspected him.

     

    “Most of the items caught with him were stolen from the house of his neighbour; the motorcycle, washing machine and generator.

     

    “He lives in a room and parlour and he never allow any of his co-tenant to enter his room. The police removed many items from the apartment,” he said.