The Nation Newspaper

Category: Crime Diary

  • ‘Why we killed Warri-South vigilance boss’

    ERIC UMUKORO, the suspected 30-year-old gang leader, allegedly involved in the murder of two vigilance chiefs in Udu and Warri-South L.G.A.’s yesterday said the gang took the decision after one of the vigilance bosses reneged on a promise to pay them after allegedly hiring them as political thugs.

    Umukoro claimed Godwin Migaga a.k.a (Kpuff Man) agreed to pay them N2 million for protection during campaigns in the 2011 Delta State gubernatorial elections.

    He claimed that the deceased was rewarded with the  position of vigilance boss, but he reneged on his promise, branding them armed robbers and threatened to report them to the police.

    He said the vigilance boss swore to kill gang members and that they (the gang) acted in self-defence.

    His words:  “Na person when we work with for election. The money when we bargain with am, he no gree give us after them don win. We come dey tell am mek he give us our money, he come dey tell us say make we no disturb am, because him go tell police say we be armed robbers. After the election, he come become vigilance chairman. Him come dey use the position dey pursue us. So with that vexation we come plan say we go kill am and also he sef dey plan to kill us.”

    He claimed that they trailed Godwin Migaga and engaged him in a shootout on a  lonely stretch of the  D.S.C expressway.

    The police paraded the five other gang members, including Akpojotor Christian Obele, Joshua Ogheneovo a.k.a (Abala) ,Caleb Oghenetega a.k.a (K-Leg) , Solomon Olo and Oke Onorede.

    It will be recalled that Prosper Erhinyojare, Chairman, Udu Vigilance Group, was shot dead on April 17 at a bar while Godwin Migaga a.k.a (Kpuff man)leader, Red Bar Security, was killed on the April 22 after a shoot out with the gang along D.S.C expressway near Otokutu community, Udu L.G.G.A.

    Delta Police boss, Ikechukwu Aduba, said the arrested suspects at the completion of investigation will be made to face the “full wrath of the law”.

    Aduba said other members of the gang at large include David Snu, Rege Snu, Festus and Ojekom.

    Aduba stressed that the intention of gang was to instill fears in the populace “by brutally snuffing the lives of the two vigilance chiefs who had done so much to aid security agencies in their duties of law enforcement”.

    He said the police will not rest on its oars until all identified culprits are brought to book.

    He said the huge number of arms seized from the hoodlums suggested that “there is an obvious build-up for which we have mapped strategies to mop up”.

    Another gang member, Caleb Oghenetega a.k.a (K-leg), said he was a spy to the group .He said during robberies, his role was to inform the gang about the presence or absence of the police.

    According to him, he was a commercial motorcyclist, adding that he joined the group in February when he could not pay his house rent and was subsequently thrown out of his house.

    Items recovered from them included 2 AK 47 Rifles, 90 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition and two locally made cut to size single barrelled shot-guns.

  • Controversy trails ejection of tenants of Lagos Island building

    Controversy trails ejection of tenants of Lagos Island building

    AGGRIEVED tenants of a three-storey building at No 23, Issa Williams Street, Lagos Island have accused an estate agent of masterminding their forcible ejection on May 1, 2014.

    Over 20 tenants of the building explained that they were not given any quit notice prior to their ejection by one Alamu, who claimed to be an estate agent in charge of the building.

    Speaking with our correspondent penultimate Sunday, the spokesman of the displaced tenants, Taiye Oyetunde, said: “We moved into the building some years ago through a property developer called Teluwo. Sometime in July 2013, we saw a ‘For Sale’ notice pasted on the building by a legal firm. When we contacted the lawyer, he claimed that the developer had handed off the property, adding that the owner had asked him to sell the house. He promised that whoever bought the house would contact us.

    “Surprisingly, a few weeks later, one Alamu threatened to forcibly eject us from the building. He claimed that he had the mandate of the ‘new owner to flush us out by force. As I speak, the identity of the new owner who sent Alamu remains unknown. We reported the matter at the Ebute Ero Police Station where he was detained for some days and later released on bail. ”

    Speaking further, Oyetunde said: “We wrote a petition to the Area ‘A’ Command when men of the Ebute Ero Division became indifferent to our plight.At a point, he brought some men who claimed to be officials of the Lagos State Building Regulatory Agency to intimidate us but we resisted them. When we got tired of reporting Alamu’s incessant harassment to the police, we took the matter to the Igbosere Magistrate Court and the case was adjourned till May 5.

    “Our ejection on May 1 smacks of conspiracy because Alamu immediately led over 100 thugs to throw out our belongings just as some policemen from Area ‘A’ Command came to invite us to their station. The hoodlums looted our belongings and destroyed our belongings.

    Alamu, however, denied the allegations in a telephone conversation with our reporter.

    He said: “I was the one that rented the apartment to them on behalf of the owner and I stopped them from paying rent about three years ago when the building was sold by its former owner.

    “There was no court injunction stopping their ejection and if there is any, it would have been pasted on the building for everyone to see.All those who rented shops there had left over a year ago.”

  • Angst over death of 26-yr-old expectant mother

    Angst over death of 26-yr-old expectant mother

    TWO months after her wedding, Folasade Ogunbiyi’s hope of savouring enduring marital bliss and safe motherhood assumed a fatal twist on March 16, 2014 when she died shortly after a controversial childbirth at the Orile Agege General Hospital (OAGH), Lagos State.

    It all began on March 14, when the late 26-year-old Folasade , according to her elder sister, Esther Babalola, complained of abdominal pain and was rushed to the hospital for proper treatment. Upon medical examination, doctors allegedly said that she was carrying a dead baby in her womb and that there was need for a Caesarian Section to remove the baby. She was, however, said to have been abandoned by doctors for over 24 hours before she was attended to.

    “Her husband had travelled out of town on March 14 when she complained of abdominal pain. I noticed that she was probably due for delivery and we decided to take her to a private hospital in the neighbourhood. But doctors at the hospital said she would need to undergo Caesarian operation to be delivered of the baby.

    “It was at this juncture that we decided to rush her to Orile Agege General Hospital where she registered for ante-natal. Doctors at the hospital, however, told us that she was carrying a dead baby in her womb, adding that there was need for Caesarian Section to remove the dead baby.”

    Painting the circumstances leading to the death of Folasade and her son, Babalola said: “On March 15, we were asked to get some drugs and while I had gone to fetch the drugs, she was safely delivered of a baby boy through Caesarian Section. The doctors did not even know that the baby was alive until one of the nurses noticed that he was breathing at a corner where he was abandoned for hours. The baby developed complications a few hours later and was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja where doctors confirmed him dead as a result of long exposure to cold.

    “The baby was not attended to on time and I was told by a health worker who spoke in confidence that she was the one that notified the doctors that the baby was alive. The doctors had dumped the baby and did not attend to him until they were told that he was alive. The baby was not covered with clothes to keep him warm which resulted in a lot of complications.

    “They asked us to pay for several tests run on the baby when his health deteriorated. We were later referred to LASUTH where doctors told us that his case was badly managed at Orile Agege General Hospital following undue exposure to cold and that the exposure had led to his death shortly before we arrived at the hospital.”

    Speaking further on events leading to the death of her only sibling, Babalola said: “My sister’s lips suddenly swelled up and turned yellowish and we called the attention of the doctors on duty to the development. The swollen lips later subsided after she was treated, but she died shortly after on March 16. A doctor at LASUTH, who did not want her name mentioned, told me that my sister must have reacted to a particular drug called ROCEPHINE that was administered on her. She said the drug was mostly used on patients who suffer from cancer, or people suffering from excessive pains.

    “The doctor asked me if she complained of excruciating pain and I said no. She also said that even if she was going through pains, the drug should have been given to her in small doses. And I concurred because that same drug was among the list of drugs prescribed and administered on her at the hospital.

    “We were asked to defray all the bills incurred before they could release her body to us for burial and we complied. We were shocked when the hospital insisted on carrying out a postmortem on her body which the family had earlier opposed. Although, we have since buried her but all we want on this matter is justice.

    “Folasade was the only sister I had. She had a traditional marriage ceremony on December 26, 2013. She was a very hardworking person. Her death is a big loss to our family and that is why I have been mandated to express the position of the family on the complicity of doctors at the hospital which eventually led to the loss of Folasade.”

    When our correspondent visited the hospital, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. (Mrs) Iyabo Tijani, declined comments on the grounds that she was not competent to speak on the matter. “I cannot say anything on the matter because I am not officially competent to speak on this incident. The Ministry of Health is the only place you can get comments on this issue, please go there.”

    Fruitless efforts were also made by our correspondent to seek the comment of the spokesman of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mr. Tunbosun, as he did not pick his calls or reply a text message sent to his phone line.

  • Death of a tricyclist sparks outrage in Delta

    Death of a tricyclist sparks outrage in Delta

    LIKE most teenagers, Mr. Friday Igwe dreamed of the day he would gain admission into a Nigerian university. The thought of financial independence, which he would enjoy upon graduation, excited him. Even though life was tough, he was hopeful that he could make it. He toiled day and night as a commercial tricycle rider on the mean streets of Warri, Delta State, to make ends meet and secure a better life.

    He was a prospective candidate in the recently concluded UTME, which held April 12th across the country, but that was not to be as he was clubbed to death on February 10th in broad day light allegedly by members of the task force of the Delta State Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Union, Uwvie Chapter.

    Friday Igwe, according to his cousin, was working as a commercial motorcyclist so he could save enough money to further his University education.

    Lamenting the death of his cousin, Samson Alli, a 28-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, who claimed he witnessed the gruesome murder of his cousin, said the deceased left P.T.I taxi rank at PTI junction conveying, commuters to Effurun Roundabout.

    According to him, shortly afterwards, he also headed to Effurun Roundabout where he saw his cousin allegedly being beaten by 15 boys over his failure to renew his commercial motorcycle’s identity card.

    He said the failure of his brother to pay the N5, 000 fine imposed by the task force provoked the fatal beatings. He said when he tried to intervene, he was hit with a club and dealt some slaps.

    He said the deceased was beaten to a state of pulp, following which he collapsed and died. He expressed apprehensions over his own safety as the suspected culprits kept on threatening his life.

    His words: “On the 10th February at about 3.00pm, my brother comot with passengers from P.T.I park after some time; when my keke full with passengers, so I follow my brother, but when I reach Effurun Roundabout I see crowd gather around someone wey dem dey beat; when I look well, I see say na my brother task force people dey beat with big big stick.

    “But task force no listen to me as I beg dem reach. After dem leave my brother for ground, dem say na epilepsy dey worry am, but before we carry reach hospital, my brother don die. So I go Ebrumede police station go complain. So police come arrest three people, but police don free the people and everyday dem say dem go kill me”.

    Continuing, he said: “Everyday, task force no dey let me rest. Dem dey beat me and threaten me. I no know wetin to do now, but make government help me for dat my brother wey dey mortuary”.

    But Friday Igwe’s death has sparked outrage among the civil rights community in Warri following accusations of an attempt by the Delta Command Police Command to shield the alleged perpetrators of the crime.

    In a petition to the IGP made available to The Nation, the Coordinator, the Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence (FJHD), Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, accused the police Homicide Department of compromising the investigation.

    He said: “In view of the way and manner the above matter was investigated by the said team of policemen, our client has no confidence in the same as it is evident that the police team compromised the investigation”.

    Ikimi accused the Delta State Police Command of conducting a post-mortem examination on the deceased by a pathologist sponsored by the suspects without the knowledge of the relatives of the deceased.

    The Delta State Police Public Relations Officers, Tina Kalu, said she was not aware of any petition against the police, saying she would find out and get to our correspondent.

    The Delta State Transport Commissioner, Hon. Ben Igbakpa, however, rejected accusations that the state government is supporting any association of tricycle operators instigating violence in any guise.

    He urged aggrieved unions to work for peace. His words: “Government is not involved in any form of collection of levies. Levy collection has been outlawed in Delta State since the inception of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s regime.

    “Any group of persons claiming to be working for government is not telling the truth. We want to shore up our IGR, but the action of the union members can never be sanctioned by government. We have not empowered any association to collect any levy on our behalf.

    “I have tried to bring all the unions together, including the national commercial tricycle riders and owners associations, since I came into office. I’m appealing to them. I have been discussing with their lawyers to see if they can withdraw their case from the Court of Arbitration in Calabar.”

  • GLORIA ESTEFAN :The studio’s my happy place

    GLORIA ESTEFAN :The studio’s my happy place

    Gloria Estefan is one of the biggest artists in history. With multiple top-selling hits and albums under her belt, as well as roles in television and film, including ‘Glee’, and writing credits for children’s books and a cook book, it seems she’s the woman who can do no wrong. She spoke with DANIEL FALCONER about her latest album ‘The Standards’, how she feels about music after so long in the industry and what we can expect from her in coming months.

    Can you tell us a little bit about your latest album ‘The Standards’?

    But of course. It’s a labour of love that I’ve been planning to do for decades but obviously you have to focus on your career first before you can cover someone elses. (laughs) So, I was waiting for the right musical idea and that came along with Shelly Berg one night at a trustee dinner for the University of Miami – I’m a trustee and an alumni – and he’s the Dean of the School of Music. I sat at the piano with him to do ‘Good Morning Heartache’ – he asked me to sit in – and what he was playing really just gave me the entire idea for this album – it unfolded as I was singing the song with him – and I asked him if he was interested in doing it, he loved the idea and I poured over like 1,000 of ‘The Standards’. The ones that jumped out at me – the list was 50 – so then I met with him and we actually played the songs and saw what fit the best, and I picked songs that were very personal to me so that I could bring something of myself, and he did an amazing job on all the arrangements and conducted the orchestra as well. We tried to do it musically economical – I wanted it to be a very intimate feeling and have a mood throughout. Something that you could put on either maybe cooking a meal or sharing some wine with a loved one – really to set a romantic mood and hopefully we achieved that. I love strings and we have a lot of very lush violin arrangements. We only used bigger sound when we thought it warranted it in the song, so we really tried to stay true to each thing.

    How did you find that process of putting together the record?

    You know what? That’s my favourite process of all. I had to get used being on stage because I don’t have the personality that likes being the centre of attention – believe it or not (laughs) – but when I joined the band it was such fun and I enjoyed more the rehearsals and the arranging of the things and then, when we got into the studios – the writing and the recording – the studio’s my happy place so anytime that I’m preparing something creatively it’s just so rich for me having that experience, and I truly enjoy it, it’s probably my favourite part of everything.

    You’ve had such a massive career to-date, do you still feel the same sense of excitement today releasing music after this long in the business?

    Very much so. I would not do it if it were not the case because your fans can see through that a mile away. They can feel when your heart and soul is in something but honestly, for the amount of work that it takes, it would not be worthwhile to me just to do it as a job. It never has been, I’ve sang since I talked and I have a deep respect for music – the way it communicates and joins people throughout the world – so I would never do anything unless I felt that excitement.

    Do you have any further plans to tour with the album?

    We just did Royal Albert Hall last night – it was amazing, it was incredible, really really lovely and I’m gonna be doing a show in Basel, Switzerland. My last tour was in 2004 – I’m gonna do some Night of the Proms, which is four different artists and I headline 12 I think – or 14 of those shows – so that kind of thing I love. I did my last world tour in 2004 and that’s probably the way it’ll stay because, I toured for many, many years and we were out for a long time and life changes. We’ve got a lot more responsibilities on our plate, aside from the music we have seven restaurants and two hotels and we’re very hands-on running all this. But I do love getting out there and being with the fans again and so I’ll always do that here and there.

    Well aside from music you’re also an actress – is acting something you’re going to continue to pursue?

    I am. In fact I got a really, really great offer that I said yes to from Eva Longoria – I can’t really talk about it right now – but it’s gonna be such fun and again, acting is quite a craft. I really love doing it and imagine – my very first scene ever shot for film was one-on-one with Meryl Streep! (laughs) Which was a bit daunting! She was the nicest, most incredible person and a masterclass in acting just watching her do what she did, and I really love it. They’ve sent me many scripts but unless it’s something that’s gonna either forward my acting chops or is worthwhile, I’m not just gonna do anything because it also takes a lot of time and preperation. I loved being on ‘Glee’ because I’m a big ‘Gleek’ – love the show – it was a lot of fun to be Naya’s mother. I would have hoped that we could do more – you never know – Ryan Murphy keeps things under wraps until the bitter end but I quite enjoyed that too.

    You’ve also written two children’s books and co-written a cook book – can we expect anymore books from you?

    I actually want to complete that Noelle the bulldog series. I lost her this year, she was an amazing pet and really like a human that dog, and she left me a lot of inspiration. I was actually already working on the third book which is ‘Noelle and Lulu’, because Lulu my tiny chihuahua came in after, and she gave me this whole idea of a sibling rivalry, because I try to focus each book on some kind of moral or lesson and I try to make them very educational even though it’s being told through entertainment which kids don’t notice then. But even the ‘Treasure Tale’ book – all the details on those sea turtles and those galleons really did – everything really happened – I just take it to more fantasy. So I would love to do more in that series in her honour. They use it in schools in the United States in first and second grade – my mom was a teacher – so it was really a dream that it would happen that way and I get letters from school children all over the nation – they send fan letters to Noelle and it’s really cute. I really love that and I did – I wrote every word of that book, both languages.

    Do you have anything else you can share with us about what to expect from you in the next few months?

    Well, I’m going to be in Europe for the Night of the Proms in Antwerp and Rotterdam, and I’m working on – as a matter of fact last night, the writer that wrote ‘The Bodyguard’ that’s now in London on Broadway, is working on our life story, autobiographical and that’s hopefully – we’ve been working on it for almost a year – we hope to have the book by January and I’m very excited about that. That creative process is so incredible that I’m enjoying every second, and we’ve been working on it over a decade just honing what story to tell and how to synthesise it, and use the music as part of the storyline and not like jukebox musicals. We’re really trying to weave a story. He was here watching the performance of our age last night because he’d never seen me live. I’m very excited about that project.

    Courtesy: Female First

  • We operated as three different gangs coordinated by a grand commander — Robbery suspects

    We operated as three different gangs coordinated by a grand commander — Robbery suspects

    An ex-convict, Sunday Bassey (23), arrested with four others for armed robbery has regretted his inability to quit the trade before his arrest because he feared that he could become an object of attack by other members of the gang. Other members of the gang, who are still active as armed robbers, he said, would see him as a threat and could resort to eliminating him. He also said he feared that they might implicate him whenever they were caught.

    The other four suspected members of the gang arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command include Abbas Lukmon (19), Oyifara Toyin (23), Kojo Richard (21) and Adebayo Femi (23). The others still at large include the alleged leader of the gang, Isiaka, and one Chukwuma a.k.a. Goodnews. The police claimed they recovered three locally made pistols and 23 rounds of live ammunition from the gang. Police sources said the gang had been involved in more than robbery operations before five of its members were arrested.

    Confessing his roles in the gang’s activities, Sunday Bassey said: “I am from Eket village in Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. I am a bus driver and ex-convict. I was once sentenced to the Kirikiri Maximum Prison where I spent 10 months before I bought my freedom. My lawyer perfected my release, but I spent my life savings for that arrangement before I regained my freedom.

    “I would have resigned from armed robbery, but my colleagues would not let me go. They continued to tell me to accompany them to robbery operations, and you know the grave consequence of avoiding them when they need you. They may not only try to implicate you whenever they are arrested, they may also come after you to kill you so that you will not be a threat to the continued existence of the gang. They would think that once you resign, you will likely become an informant to the police.

    “We have three different gangs. The first is based at Oyingbo (Lagos) and is led by Muri Eteh. They are about four in the gang. The second is based at Ikotun (Lagos) led by one Chukwuma a.k.a. Goodnews. The third is based at Ketu (Lagos) led by Isiaka, the grand commander of the three gangs.”

    Asked what items the gangs specialised in stealing, he said: “We rob people and traders who sell food items like rice, garri, beans, melon, palm oil and stock fish, among others. We also rob fuel attendants at filling stations. We rob pharmaceutical shops, supermarkets and recharge card outlets where we are likely to get big money.

    “In the Ketu gang, we are only seven, including myself, Isiaka the gang leader and grand commander of the three independent gangs, Lukman, Toyin, Kojo and Femi. I have participated in many robbery operations. The first operation I participated in when I came back from prison was at Alapere.

    We robbed three times at Alapere. The first place was a pharmaceutical shop. We were four and got N40,000; myself, Kojo, Femi and Toyin. Each of us got N10,000 because the money was shared equally. The second place was a shop where the shop owner held my colleague at the waist and I shot him in the hand to free my colleague. We could not get a dime from the shop because the shop attendant said his boss had already come to collect the day’s sales before we arrived. I fired the victim because he held my commander, Isiaka.

    “Another place where we operated was at a filling station in Ikotun. We threatened the fuel attendants with gun and robbed them of the day’s sales. From the first pump, we got N35, 000, while we got N25,000 from the second pump.

    “At Alapere, we robbed rice sellers but could not get a kobo because their master had come to collect the whole sales before we arrived there. We also robbed a provision shop at Alapere. We went into the shop and pretended that we wanted to buy table water. As the man went to bring the table water, I rushed at him with my short gun and ordered him to lie face down while Isiaka ordered his visitor, at gun point, to also lie face down. He collected the visitor’s two Black Berry phones while I collected the sales money, about N95, 000. Isiaka also collected the visitor’s N50, 000. Other members of the gang filled their pockets with assorted hot drinks, choice wine and other provisions. We also took some bottles of beer before we left. It was a 30-minute operation.

    “At Ikotun, we robbed recharge card sellers. We got N50,000 worth of recharge cards. It was a successful operation. I sent my own share of the stolen recharge cards (about N10, 000) to my colleague, Rasheed, who was still serving his jail term in Ikoyi Prison to sell and feed himself.

    “There were three members of the gang who held guns. I bought my gun for N20, 000. It was Isiaka that bought it for me. Isiaka has his own gun and Muri Eteh also has his own gun. They are all locally made guns.”

    Asked how the gang got information on their victims, he said: “We have our members in most of the places we robbed. It was either they live there or they usually visited such places and knew the terrain very well. At times, they accompanied us to carry out the operations. At Ikotun, we have up to three boys. I can remember Chukwuma and the one we call Goodnews. I don’t know the name the others.

    “The important thing is that we know our members. Their names are not important, for security reasons, and that is why some of us prefer to be called by our alias so that if the police declare us wanted, we can start answering our real names or another alias.

    “I know Abbas. He is my friend. But he is not a full member of our gang. He only keeps our operational guns for us. When we want to rob, he brings the guns, and after operation, he hid the guns for us and we always rewarded him handsomely. At times, he played the role of an informant by spying on the police and making friends with them in order to get information that would frustrate any attempt to track us down. At times, we gave him N5, 000, N10, 000 or more, depending on how much we got from an operation. At other times, we didn’t give him anything, particularly when market is bad.”

    The second suspect, Abbas Lukman, said: “I am from Ife, Osun State. But I am based at Ketu, Lagos State where I worked at a barbing salon. My boss paid me according to how many heads I barber in a day. I got between N1, 000 and N1, 500 per day. Customers also gave me money, especially rich men. Some gave me as much as N1, 000, so there were days I went home with N5, 000. But I spent most of my money on prostitutes, drinks, clothes and friends.

    It was one of my friends/customers, Sunday Bassey, who introduced me to the gang by giving me their guns to keep for them. One day, I was barbing for one of our customers when Sunday on a motorcycle called me to take one polythene bag and keep for him. I collected the bag.

    “At the close of work around 10 pm, I opened the bag to see its content and found three locally made pistols and some live cartridges. Surprised, I called him and asked him what the guns were meant for and he told me not to worry; that he would come and collect them for a job and that I would benefit from it later. He said he would collect a lot of money with the ATM. I asked him to explain what he meant by ATM and he said that was what his gang’s members call guns, because they used it to collect money easily from victims.

    “They used to give me N2, 000. Sometimes, they give me N5, 000, depending on what they had in mind to give me any time they wanted to collect the guns or hand over the guns for safe keeping. It was when I discovered that they used to share big money after each operation that I decided to be accompanying them to operations. It was then that I started getting big money from them, like N10, 000, N20, 000, depending on what we get from each operation.

    “The first day I kept the guns, he (Sunday) gave me N2, 000. The second one was at Demurin Road, Ketu. He gave me a polythene bag and N4,000. The third one, he met me and dashed me N5, 000 and I gave him the guns. The fourth, which was the last one, he called me on the phone and asked where I was. I told him that I was at the barbing salon attending to customers. He insisted that I should come. I told him that I would not come and he gave the poly bag to one of my friends to give to me. His name is Chukwuman, the gang member that is still at large.

    “The next day, I saw Sunday with the police in my shop and I was told that I was under arrest for armed robbery. I regret being arrested because I did not save any money since I joined the gang. When I was doing my barbing work alone, I used to make N2, 000 to N3, 000 every day after I had delivered N 5, 000 to my master. For the number of months I worked in the salon I saved a reasonable sum. But since I joined the armed robbery gang, I have not saved a dime and I have nothing to show for the high risk in the armed robbery job I plunged myself into.”

    The third suspect, Oyifara Toyin, a native of Ilaorogun, Osun State, confessed his role thus: “I am a commercial motorcycle rider. I used to carry the members to robbery scenes. I participated in two operations only. The first one was at Ikotun where we robbed recharge card dealers. We got N70, 000 worth of recharge cards. I was given N10, 000 worth of recharge cards as my own share.

    “I also followed them to rob a filling station in Ikotun. Unfortunately, the vigilante people pursued us, and as we were running with our motorcycle, we had an accident and abandoned our motorcycle to enable us escape. Sunday also said we lost all the money while trying to escape from the angry mob at the accident point.

    “He asked me where I was and I told him that I was at home. He said he would come and see me in the morning, being a Friday. I told him that I was no more interested in armed robbery and that I would like to be left alone. He said I should not worry, that he himself had also decided to quit but had one thing to discuss with me. To my greatest surprise, he came with SARS operatives and they told me that I was under arrest for conspiracy and armed robbery.

    “I had stopped doing robbery with them since December 23, 2012. I left them because of the motorcycle I lost in the operation I got accident in while trying to escape. I was with Richard. When I left, they replaced me with Adebayo Femi.”

    The fourth suspect, Kojo Richard, said: “I am from Ilaorogun village in Osun State. I am a commercial motorcycle rider. My role is to carry gang member to operation points and back. They used to tell me that my spirit was not good and that it brought bad luck to the gang. So, they ended up not giving me a kobo.

    “Luckily, in the first operation, they gave me N10, 000. From the second operation, I got N3, 000. But from the last one, I did not get a dime.”

    Asked why he left his motorcycle business to join the gang, he said: “I brought my motorcycle with hire purchase. When I was about to complete payment, motorcycle snatchers drugged me and collected the motorcycle. I started looking for who would give me another motorcycle to ride and make weekly returns.

    “That was my situation when Sunday met me and told me that he had a good job for me. I asked how and he told me to join their gang. Being frustrated, I accepted to join them.”

    The fifth suspect, Femi, says he is a native of Ilaro, Ogun State, and a commercial motorcycle rider. “I got N1, 500 and at times N2, 000 daily. But the owner of the motorcycle set me up and my motorcycle was stolen. Isiaka gave me a motorcycle to use and make a monthly delivery of N1,000.

    “After one month, he asked me to take him to Ikotun Petrol Station to rob the fuel attendants. We collected money that day and my share was N15, 000. In the second operation at Ikotun Petrol Station, I was given N3, 700. From the third operation at Alapere where people sell rice, we did not get anything.

    “The last one we went to was at Oriola, Ketu, Alapere.”

    One of the victims, Francis Okorie (33), a supermarket operator shot by the robbers on the left arm at his Alapere shop, said: “The robbers were heartless. They thought that the shots had killed me because I fell on the ground and became unconscious.”

    Other victims who pleaded anonymity said the police should not allow them to come back alive because they had killed many people, including policemen.

    Their words: “See how they shot that man selling provision. They meant to kill him but he survived by the grace of God. Leaving them to come back will endanger our lives. Kill all of them.

    “Some of them are ex-convicts. They can never repent. Rather, they grow from worse to worst. They constitute worse nuisance when they are allowed to come back. They don’t have value for human lives. Kill them or leave them in prison for life.

    “People who solicit for their human rights are benefitting from their crime. They are worse criminals.”

    Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr. Mike Okiro, has said he would direct the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed D. Abubakar, to look out for police officers and men who have done police proud by performing gallantry and arrange them for special promotion to encourage hard work and courage.

    He made this remark on the occasion of the unveiling of Jonathan Housing Estate at Idimu, Lagos by the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan recently.

  • I diverted N35m worth of goods to fund my wedding

    I diverted N35m worth of goods to fund my wedding

    A truck driver and suspected member of a six-man robbery gang arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, Emmanuel Agbazue (25), has said that he connived with five others to divert N35 million worth of goods in order to get enough money to marry a woman he was in love with and also start a business of his own.

    Agbazue and the other members of the gang were arrested at a warehouse in Lagos while they were offloading the goods in question into the warehouse of the receiver. The other suspects include Haruna Abdullahi (48), Nsube Okoli (20), Chinedu Ukaonu (27) and Aloysius Anuntu (42) and one Alhaji Sani who was not charged as he was found to have been a victim of circumstances.

    According to police sources, the diverted goods belonged to Friesland, a subsidiary of WAMCO Plc situated at Ogba Industrial Estate, Ikeja. The raw milk was said to have been imported for the production of powdered milk.

    Agbazue, a driver with a transport company named Jetra, was said to have been the one that drove the truck with which the goods in question were moved from the port at Tin Can Island to the company’s premises at Ogba. Thereafter, he allegedly contacted Ukaonu to help him in diverting the goods. Ukaonu in turn contacted a Lagos-based auto spare parts dealer named Aloysius to look for a buyer to whom they could dispose off the goods at a give-away price.

    Aloysius then contacted one Ibrahim based in Maroko, a suburb of Lagos, who in turn contacted one Tukur and both of them agreed to buy the diverted goods for N17 million. Thereafter, they contacted one Haruna, a resident of Railway Line, Agege, Lagos, to help them secure a warehouse where the diverted goods would be kept for onward transportation to Sokoto. Haruna was said to have paid the sum of N40,000 for the warehouse located in Kara area of Ibafo, Ogun State.

    But following a tip off, the Officer in Charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police (SP), mobilised his men to the location and met the six suspects offloading the goods into a the warehouse. The SARS operatives arrested all the suspects and recovered the stolen goods and the trailer.

    Though before SARS operatives swooped on the suspects, half of the stolen goods had been offloaded, hence, the loaders were ordered to reload the ones they had loaded into the warehouse back to the truck and the suspects and the trailer carrying the 40-feet container were later taken to Scorpion House for further investigation.

    However, interrogation by the police was said to have revealed that Alhaji Sani was only a victim of circumstance. Haruna told the police that Sani only escorted him to the warehouse as he used to, and the fact that he saw him pay the sum of N40,000 to hire the warehouse made him not to suspect that they were dealing in stolen goods. Other members of the gang also corroborated Haruna’s explanation, saying that Sani was innocent. Abba Kyari therefore set him free with a warning that he would no longer be spared if he was found in the company of looters again.

    Narrating his role in the saga, Agbazue said: “I am a native of Okija in Anambra State and a trailer driver with Jetra Petroleum Haulage on a monthly salary of N18,000. I started working with the company in June last year. The monthly salary is too small. From each trip I made, the company collected between N200,000 to N300,000, even if the consignee paid N150,000 per trip and I made up to eight trips or more in a month, which brought the company’s income to about N1.2 million per month.

    “Even if business is dull, there is no way half a million naira would not enter the company’s account in a month. Yet, they could not pay reasonable salary. What would happen if a fatal accident occurs? The company can abandon me.

    “To make matters worse, the company would monitor us from the point of loading to the point of delivery, and there was no opportunity for us to carry load or passengers along the road to make extra money. Even the N6,000 the company used to give us for the road, there was no way you would manage it and get something reasonable. For instance, when we collected the N6,000, we would pay between N1,500 and N2,000 for TDO paper. When the load came out, you would buy ticket of N1,000. By the time all the payments were made, I would be left with N1,000 or N1,500, which I shared with the conductor. That was not enough for food, drinks, cigarette and kola nut, which we needed to keep us going on the highway.

    “To worsen matters, I wanted to get married to my sweetheart but there was no way I could get the huge amount budgeted for it. You know that every long vehicle driver likes women, especially prostitutes. They sleep with prostitutes wherever the night catches up with them.

    “I knew that there was a tracker in the trailer, so I removed it so that they would not know my location. It was a surprise to us that SARS men discovered our location. I was asked to deliver the goods from Apapa to WAMCO at Ogba (Lagos), but I diverted it to Ojodu Berger and Kara areas.

    “I needed the sum of N17 million to start business and do my wedding. I had an account with a bank containing the sum of N21,000, but my ATM card stopped working. Four of us intended to share the N17 million. Unfortunately, the buyers of the goods had not paid before SARS operatives arrested us and recovered the goods.”

    Asked whether he had any regrets over his action, he said: “I regret losing my job, which used to give me some money for feeding. I also regret not getting the millions I targeted. I am now facing interrogation and possible prosecution.”

    The second suspect, Okoli, said: “I am from Amaichi Umuwaehi in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State. I am a truck conductor. They don’t pay me salary. It was the driver (Agbazue) who employed me and gave me money any time we went on a trip, like N200 for feeding, N100 for hot drink and N20 for cigarette. At the end of each trip, he gave me N1,000.”

    Asked if he was a party to the plan to divert the goods, he said: “Yes, I was aware. We had been doing it, but this one would have paid us better. If I had succeeded, I would have bought a commercial bus and stop this long-distance travelling.

    “There was one we diverted in Nnewi, Anambra State, sometime ago and they gave me N50,000. I don’t know the worth of the goods involved in this one. It was a 40-feet container and the goods were worth millions.

    “I dropped out at JSS 3 because of financial handicap. Nobody was willing to assist or accommodate me. Hence, I slept in the market or at the motor park. The driver picked me from the motor park and I have been serving him well.

    “My regret is that I did not get a dime from this operation before I was arrested.”

    Ukaonu on his part said: “I am a native of Isialangwa in Abia State. I am a trailer driver. I am single. I stopped my educational career in primary six. I was arrested because we conspired to divert some goods.”

    Asked how he got involved in the deal, he said he and Agbazue learnt driving together. “We are neighbours. On that fateful day, he called me and told me that there was an urgent job to be done and it would fetch us big money. I asked him how much and he said it would be in millions of naira and that it would take us to the next level of life. I was very happy.

    “I quickly contacted one Aloysius and he said he knew some buyers. He called one of them known as Alhaji Ibrahim. Later, Ibrahim called his boss named Alhaji Tukur, who signified interest in buying the entire consignment. From there, I continued to monitor the progress of the operation from the loading to the offloading points.

    “I followed them very closely because criminals who divert goods are heartless. If you are not present, they could divert your own share. Where will you report them if they don’t give you your own share after disposing the goods? Therefore, to be on the safe side, you follow them closely so that you will not be cheated.

    “I was with them at Kara, the off-loading point on May 11, 2013 when SARS operatives stormed the place and got six of us arrested. But they later released one when they found out that he was innocent.

    “I was driving for AURUM Energy, a transport company. But I left them after I had a fatal accident that got the trailer badly damaged. The company refused to repair the trailer, which left me redundant for almost eight months. Hence, I resigned and joined the gang. I had both the G and E licences and I am good at driving. But I needed big money to solve the big problem I had. Driving alone cannot give me the money even in 20 years time.

    “I have no regrets over my action because I don’t have a kobo in my pocket now, and a man without money is a dead man.”

    The fourth suspect, Aloysius, said: “I am from Abagana in Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State. I deal in auto spare parts at Oyingbo in Lagos Mainland, where I have a large shop. But I reside at No. 56, Okera Road, Railway Compound, Oyingbo. I was the one that contacted Alhaji Ibrahim who in turn contacted Alhaji Tukur.”

    On why he contacted Ibrahim, Aloysius said: “I did so because Chinedu said he had some stolen goods to dispose. I then said I knew one Alhaji Ibrahim who was an agent to Alhaji Tukur. There and then, Alhaji Ibrahim called Alhaji Tukur and we negotiated the price and agreed on N17 million.

    “The said Tukur arrived Lagos from Ibadan between 11.30 pm and midnight that day. He said the person that would provide the key to the warehouse at Ojodu Berger had not arrived and asked us to wait till 5 am.

    After 5 am, the man still did not surface. But at about 7 am, Alhaji Tukur’s boy arrived and with the key. He opened the warehouse and we opened the container. They negotiated with one Haruna Abdullahi to pay them the sum of N40,000 to use the warehouse for four days.

    “We stood at a corner while they negotiated. In the end, the labourers started off-loading the diverted goods. As they were off-loading the goods, SARS operatives appeared and arrested everybody. They also ordered the labourers to reload the container. The container was later taken to Scorpion House (SARS headquarters) along with the suspects and the goods.”

    He said he did not get a dime from the deal and that it was his first experience. His wife, he said, never knew that he was involved in crime because she travelled. “But when she came back, she was informed and she came to see me. She quarrelled with me and asked me why I should partake in such a dirty deal. But I pleaded with her that it was the handiwork of the devil,” he said.

    The fifth suspect, Haruna said he was a trader of empty sacks and nylon, but he realised that there was no much money in the business. “I am married with five children. How do you expect me to feed all these mouths, including my wife’s, with the sale of sacks and nylon bags?” he asked.

    “How much is school fees? I am addressed as an Alhaji but I have never gone to Mecca. People just call me Alhaji and I claimed it because it raised my social status.

    “I am from Panisau village in Ungogo Local Government Area, Kano State. Alhaji Tukur sent Aloysius and Alhaji Ibrahim and Chinedu, and I went to show them the warehouse. It was in the morning, but they said they would be bringing the goods in the night. After bringing the goods at about midnight, they called me and I told them that I would not be able to come at that hour. I told them to wait till 5 am.

    “I got there at 7 am. We called the owner of the warehouse and he sent his boy. After opening the warehouse, they opened the container and started offloading. In the process, SARS operatives stormed the place and got all of us arrested.

    “The goods were already half off-loaded, but the police ordered us to load them back into the container. Unfortunately, SARS operatives arrested my friend, Alhaji Sani, who I had asked to accompany me to the place. But during investigation, the police found that he was not connected with the deal and he was released. He was exonerated by all the other suspects.

    “But let me make it clear that many of us at Railway Line, Agege, specialise in buying and selling stolen goods, and people patronise us because our goods are very cheap.”

    Asked how he felt free to sell stolen goods close to Isokoko, Pen Cinema and Elere police stations, he said: “It is a contact point for many areas in Lagos where stolen goods are sold. They buy from them and we do not allow members to misbehave to avoid attracting the attention of the police.

    “Whenever there is a misunderstanding between a buyer and a seller, we try our best to solve the problem amicably. Besides, we do not allow our members to take their matters to the police in order to keep the police away.”

  • I surrendered to the police because my gun disappointed me —Robbery suspect

    I surrendered to the police because my gun disappointed me —Robbery suspect

    The other group were intercepted at Abule Egba junction same day at about 1.00pm by SP Abba Kyari as they were going to United Bank for Africa UBA Isolo Road, Ajao Estate. In a heavy exchange of fire with the hoodlums seven of the armed robbers were fatally wounded while two of the robbers Olubode Mudashiru aged 27 and Gbenga Joseph aged 48 were arrested with bullet wounds.

    Two AK47 rifles, eight AK47 magazines fully loaded three locally made double barrel pistols, sixty-five live cartridges along with two of their operational vehicles Toyota Sienna AKD 54 AG and Nissan Sonny BT 914 APP were recovered.

    Information also revealed that one of their operational vehicles, a golden colour Toyota Camry carrying three AK47 rifles and two rocket launchers has already passed Abule Egba junction towards Ajao Estate/Mushin Area.

    OC SARS acting on the strength of this information, deployed a crack team and hearing that the escaped gang members with the golden colour Toyota Camry headed straight to the Hotel, Meiran area of Lagos they headed straight to the hotel to get them.

    After a heavy exchange of fire at the hotel Kabiru Sulaiman whose original name is Tunji Bamidele aged 28 was arrested with one AK47 rifle with 23 live ammunition and a big empty travelling bag.

    A robbery suspect arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command after an exchange of gunshots has said that he surrendered to the police because his gun suddenly went bad during the battle.

    Twenty-eight-year-old Kabiru Suleiman, a.k.a. KB, reasoned that he risked being shot dead at the Olak Hotel, Meiran, Lagos scene of the gun battle on March 8 if he had not thrown his arms in the air in total surrender.

    Narrating the circumstances that led to the incident, Kabiru said: “I started armed robbery with the aid of okada (commercial motorcycle) about six years ago. I also owned a barbing salon in Mushin.

    “Sometime last year, I was caught stealing a motorcycle in Mushin, Lagos, and was charged to court at Area D, following which I was remanded in prison. When my bail was perfected by my friends, I decided to join their robbery gang. The gang was made up of Ijebu, AY, Saheed, myself and Pencil, the gang leader.

    “It was in the prison that I got Pencil’s GSM number. I obtained it from a senior inmate called Ogbologbo. He was in the same cell with me. When I came out of prison, I called his GSM number and told him that I wanted to join his gang.

    “He asked whether I knew how to operate ‘senior guns’ like AK47 rifles and I said yes. He asked whether I knew that it was a no-mercy job and whether I could shoot people, and I said yes.

    “After I joined them, we did three operations in Abeokuta and one in Lagos. The other members were based in Abeokuta while I lived on Way Street, Mushin. I don’t have a permanent residence. I used to sleep on the tables or benches used by traders on the street.

    “The other gang members used to invite me any time there was an ‘operation’ to carry out and they would tell me the place they wanted to rob.”

    He said he was not inviting them for operations in Lagos because he noticed that the security in the city was tight.

    He said: “In other states like Ogun and Kwara, once we finished operation and none of us was caught immediately, we knew that the police would not look for us even if we operated three times. But in Lagos, once the Commissioner of Police hears that any gang has operated, he will pursue the gang even if they enter an ant’s hole.

    “The operation that made SARS operatives to arrest me was the one in which two gangs planned to rob a bank in Lagos. Our gang was to join the other one before we ran into SARS operatives at Ola Hotels in Meiran (Lagos).

    “The two gangs wanted to rob a branch of UBA on Osolo Way, Ajao Estate, Lagos. They other gang’s members were coming from the Sango end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway and we planned to join them at Abule Egba. On getting to Abule Egba, we heard that they sensed danger and they turned back.

    “Not satisfied that the bank operation failed, our leader, Pencil, said we should not go back to Abeokuta empty-handed. We made a U-turn, took Meiran Road and stopped at Olac Hotel to re-strategise. At about 8.30 pm, five of us entered the hotel, bought beer and ‘spirit’ and were drinking and smoking.

    “One of us went out to receive a phone call, but on getting outside, he saw a large crowd, including policemen. He ran back and alerted us that there was danger. We immediately opened our travelling bag containing three AK47 rifles and two pistols. Pencil took one AK47 and I took another. AY also took one while the others shared the two pistols.

    “We were set to confront the police at the main gate and shoot our way out of the hotel. But Pencil, who took the main gate to confront the crowd and the police, ran back when he saw that the fire power of the police was too much. He said the police were well positioned and were firing into the air, ready to fire at anybody coming out from the hotel.

    “Some people in the hotel ran for dear lives through the back gate and other members of the gang, including Pencil, also escaped. I did not follow them because I thought that Pencil had run back to bring other members of the gang in order to match the fire power of the police. But he escaped, leaving me confused.

    “In that circumstance, I had no alternative but to surrender myself to the police when they ordered me to drop my AK47. They noticed that my rifle had hung and could not fire. I obeyed and they handcuffed me and whisked me away.

    “I later learnt that one of my colleagues who wanted to scale the fence was shot. But I don’t know whether he eventually escaped. I heard that Pencil’s bullets caught some of the civilians and policemen, but I don’t know how true since I was bundled into SARS’ vehicle and chained to it.

    “I was not the gang’s armourer. Any member of the gang could be ordered by Pencil to carry the bag and it was my turn to carry it that day. That is why you see it with me. The important thing was that anybody who carried the bag had to hold it like a traveller to avoid being suspected by the police and members of the public.

    “It was after the police had forced their way into the hotel that they realised that there was another exit gate at the back. The police would not have been able to arrest me if my AK47 rifle had not refused to fire. I was outside the gate with Pencil and both of us were initially firing before my rifle hung (That was before Pencil retreated). It was by God’s mercy that I survived. The way the police were firing into the air at the gate, I did not know that I would survive until they handcuffed me and took me into their operations vehicle. If any civilian was shot, it was a bullet from inside the hotel not from the outside of it.”

    A recent report had quoted a woman as alleging that her husband was shot dead in the area by some men suspected to be SARS operatives during an exchange of gunshots.

    Contacted for comments, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said: “I would like to see a copy of the said publication before I respond.”

    The other group were intercepted at Abule-Egba junction the same day at about 1.00pm by SP Abba Kyari as they were heading for a commercial bank on Isolo Road, Ajao Estate. In a heavy exchange of fire with the hoodlums, seven of them were fatally wounded, while two of the suspected robber,s Olubode Mudashiru, 27, and Gbenga Joseph, 48, were arrested with bullet wounds.

    According to police sources, two AK47 rifles, eight AK47 magazines fully loaded, three locally made double barrel pistols, 65 live cartridges along with two of their operational vehicles, a Toyota Sienna AKD 54 AG and Nissan Sonny BT 914 APP were recovered from the suspects.

    Information also revealed that one of their operational vehicles, a golden colour Toyota Camry carrying three AK47 rifles and two rocket launchers had already sped past Abule-Egba junction towards Ajao Estate, Mushin Area. OC SARS, acting on the strength of this information, deployed a crack team and headed straight for the hotel in Meiran area of Lagos to confront them.

    After a heavy exchange of fire at the hotel, Kabiru Sulaiman, whose original name is Tunji Bamidele, aged 28, was arrested with one AK47 rifle with 23 live ammunition and a big empty travelling bag.

  • Horror as 21-yr-old lady falls into soak-away…two weeks to wedding

    Horror as 21-yr-old lady falls into soak-away…two weeks to wedding

    WURAOLA Akinjolie was to become a bride today but her dream of savouring wedding bliss had been aborted. She died in a bizarre manner penultimate Friday just two weeks away from her wedding.

    As the story goes, the 21-year-old deceased had barely finished washing some of her clothes when she slipped into a soak away pit covered with decrepit slabs at her residence at No 2, Believer Street, Oluwo-Opeilu, Ogun State.

    When our correspondent visited her residence a few days ago, some residents made an encore of the tragedy blaming her death on some supernatural forces.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, recalled the tragic incident. She said:” Sister Wuraola woke up early and washed some of her clothes because she thought she might not have the time to do it and other chores before her wedding day. She was about hanging the clothes on the rope when she slipped into the soak away pit. I believe that her death was more than meet the eyes because of the circumstances surrounding it; it came just a few days to her wedding. She must have been killed through supernatural forces by evil people.”

    It was gathered that the deceased was rescued shortly after the incident but she gave up just when medical attention came her way.

    “Although, she had fallen into the pit before neighbours were alerted, but it took a few hours for a search party to discover that she was trapped in the soak away. She was rescued from the pit and taken to about three hospitals but she died while being treated in a certain hospital,” the source said.

    An eyewitness, who gave her name simply as Adebola, described the incident as sad. She explained that the deceased was carrying a four- month pregnancy at the time of the incident.

    “Sister Wuraola’s death is sad. She was four months pregnant and was looking forward to her wedding in two weeks time (today) when her tragic death occurred. She was quite a pleasant and easy-going person and everyone in the neighbourhood will definitely miss her because of her warm disposition toward everyone around. It would have been wonderful to witness her wedding, particularly that she was already making frenetic preparations for the ceremony before her tragic demise but God knows better.

    “Her fiancée is called Femi John, and hails from Kogi State but I cannot say exactly where he is now. We learned that he is yet to get out of the shock of Wuraola’s death and currently out of town.”

    Another resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described the deceased as easy-going and warm.

    “Wuraola hails from Ile-Oluji in Ondo State and she would often crack jokes with us in her native dialect. She was unassuming. I cannot recall when she ever fought with anyone in this environment. It is sad that she died just when she was about consummating her marriage. We were all looking forward to the day, not knowing that evil was lurking around her. I don’t believe in fatalism, hence, I also share in the belief that she may have been killed by evil people so as to prevent her wedding from holding but everything is open before God”.

    Findings revealed that the incident pitched occupants of the building against the landlord and that efforts are being made to resolve the matter.

    “The incident drew a hole in the relationship between occupants of the building and the landlord but it is now being resolved by the landlords association in the area. The occupants were annoyed that the decrepit mud slab on the soak-away pit had been left unfixed for a long period leading to the death of Wuraola”, said a resident who craved anonymity.

    However, a community leader in the area who asked not to be named explained that there was no such controversy over the death of Wuraola.

    He said: “No one was fighting the owner of the building over the unfortunate incident because that was not the first time the late woman would be standing at the same spot to hang her clothes. It was just unfortunate she slipped to death, even though sWuraolaWuraolahe got immediate attention from bystanders. Her death is tragic and unfortunate and we pray that such will not reoccur because it spells a bad omen if it does.

    “The truth is that some people had lodged complaints over the state of the soak-away pit and the community leaders had immediately stepped into the matter. There is no quarrel between occupants and the landlord at all”.

     

  • Outrage as policeman shoots bus driver

    DATELINE was Thursday April 2, 2013. A mob was in a hot chase for a thief who allegedly stole tires in Ile-Epo bus stop along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. In the middle of the pandemonium, a police inspector joined the mob but took a wrong approach toward apprehending the thief. In a fit of fury, he squeezed the trigger but the bullets allegedly missed the target and instead sent an innocent commuter bus driver, Ibrahim Fagbohun, to his early grave. He was shot while his fingers were still on the steering.

    The 29-year-old driver was rushed to the nearby Orile-Agege General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead by doctors while the policeman is currently detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.

    Recounting the incident, Ademola Alao, a colleague of the deceased bus driver, said:” The errant policeman, attached to Elere Police Station, Agege, was passing by with some colleagues in a patrol vehicle when he saw some people chasing a man accused of stealing tires. He then shot indiscriminately but his shots missed the thief and instead hit Ibrahim on the forehead.”

    It was gathered that the detained police inspector was on patrol with other policemen when they sighted some drivers who were trying to apprehend a man for allegedly stealing two tyres.

    Describing the incident as unfortunate, a colleague, Rahmon Okanlawon, said: “The killing of Ibrahim was rather sad. We were trying to apprehend the man who stole our tyres when a police patrol team came. The Inspector jumped down and started shooting indiscriminately into the air. The bullet hit one of our members, Ibrahim Fagbohun, on the forehead and he died immediately. When we rushed him to the hospital, he was confirmed dead. He is the breadwinner of his family and his wife was only three months ago delivered of a baby girl.

    “I was also arrested by the policemen from Elere and taken to the station where I was detained for several hours despite the fact that it was an officer from that station that killed our colleague.”

    A relative of the deceased, who spoke in confidence, explained that the late bus driver was on the first trip of the day when his life was gruesomely terminated.

    “He was just on the first trip of the day when he met his untimely death in the hands of the policeman. He had two kids, Rasheed, 4, and Nimota, three months old. There is need to prevent situations whereby innocent persons are killed by policemen who ordinarily should protect citizens. The police officer who killed him was irrational in the use of fire arms and should be penalised for his indiscretion.”

    Commenting on the murder, Lagos Police Command Spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the arrest of the Inspector, adding that he had been detained at the SCID for interrogation.

    “We have arrested the Inspector and he has been detained at the SCID. We are interrogating him and if he is found guilty, he will be prosecuted,”