Category: Crime Diary

By ‘Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor

• School shut as students protest

• Deceased buried without autopsy

• Relatives alleged cover-up

Tragedy struck in the Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto, Sokoto State as a second year National Diploma (ND) student of the institution, Miss Zainab Bisola  Owoade, was allegedly stabbed to death by her course mate and roommate. The suspect, Nafeesat Yekini, reportedly ended the life of Owoade untimely by stabbing her with a knife during an argument in their hostel. The deceased was in the Public Administration Department of the institution until her death.

According to eyewitness accounts, Owoade was rushed to a nearby hospital after she was stabbed. She was however pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. “She was stabbed while fighting with her roommate. She didn’t immediately seek medical help after the stabbing as the two continued their disagreement while Owoade was bleeding.

“She had lost too much blood before she was rushed to the hospital.

“Some people claimed she slumped while still fighting and was whisked to the hospital while others said she was forced to the hospital because of the quantity of blood she lost.

“But at the end of the day, she didn’t survive the injury. She was declared dead on arrival by the doctor. The police was informed immediately and they came to take her body away,” a source said.

There was palpable tension in the town following the killing last Wednesday. According to reliable sources, the deceased, an active student union member in the institution, allegedly died from injuries sustained after she was stabbed on the chest by another female student of the institution during a face-off at their hostel.

“Our school was shut on Wednesday as students were angrily protesting what they described as the shady handling of the incident by the police and the school authority.

“The deceased has been buried without an autopsy and we heard that the suspect has been released. There is an attempt to change the narratives of what happened and that is what we are against,” Aliu Kareem, a student unionist who is also an official of the school’s chapter of Federation of Oyo Students Union, told The Nation.

Investigation by The Nation further revealed that the deceased and the suspect were bosom friends and are both from the same hometown.

“The two of them are not just from the same Oyo State, they are also from Kishi town. In fact, the late Owoade is a princess of the town. We are still unable to unravel what led to such a fight that resulted in the death of one of them. It is baffling and we find the act a very cruel one,” Aliu added.

Our correspondent also gathered that the decision to bury the late Owoade at a Muslim cemetery on Wednesday has ignited fresh protests among students and other residents of Sokoto, especially Oyo State indigenes.

According to feelers across town, the police appear to be bowing to pressure from some quarters to cover up the incident and prevent the law from taking its full course.

“I can confirm to you that no autopsy was conducted on the remains of the deceased. We are surprised to hear that relatives of the deceased asked that she should be hurriedly buried according to Islamic injunction. This is not true.

“I can tell you that relatives of Owoade are still on their way coming to Sokoto from Kishi. It is the relatives of Yekini, who are based here in Sokoto that are pulling strings to ensure she evades justice,” a source claimed.

When contacted about the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto State Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sanusi , confirmed the incident while promising to make more enquiries for relevant facts and get back to our correspondent as soon as possible.

But a reliable source within the command, who sought anonymity, confirmed some of the alleged development while debunking claims that the police is trying to cover up the matter in any way.

“It is true that a student of the polytechnic was stabbed to dead by another student. Yes, the dead student has been buried but the suspect has not been released as alleged. I can tell you that she is now with us at the police headquarters here in Sokoto.

“I cannot say whether an autopsy was done on the corpse before burial, but I can confirm to you that it is the parents of the deceased that ordered that she be buried immediately.

“From what we gathered, the two girls are from the same hometown in Oyo State and the two families have settled the matter back home. That is why she was buried while investigation into the matter continued.

“The police have no interest in the matter other than to ensure justice and peace. I even learnt the suspect’s father was detained too. So, we have not done anything outside the law on the matter,” he said.

The Nation gathered that relatives of the deceased are displeased with moves to get the suspects released from police custody, following the burial of Owoade. According to a family source, “the parents of the suspect are going all over the place pleading for the release of their own daughter. It is not true that our family agreed to any settlement. As far as we are concerned, this is a case between the suspect and the government.”

Twenty-seven-year-old suspected SIM card hacker, Ayoola Olalekan, was arrested by the Osun State Police Command and paraded alongside a robbery syndicate. Following interrogation by the police, Ayoola, who had been parading himself as a hip-hop artiste admitted being a hacker who withdraws money from his victims’ bank accounts using their SIM cards and bank verification numbers (BVN). In an interview with TOBA ADEDEJI, he explains how he goes about his operations.

• Says even my parents know I’m a Yahoo Boy

• Relives how he pilfers money from other people’s accounts with SIM card, BVN

What is your name?

My name is Ayoola Olalekan. I am a hip-hop artiste. I am 27 years old and I reside in Ibadan.

What is your educational qualification?

I dropped out when I was in Senior Secondary School, SS 2. My father took another wife who was not treating me well, so I ran away from home. I then went to Lagos where I was taught how to hack into people’s SIM cards and transfer money from their bank accounts.

How many songs have you produced as a hip-hop artiste?

I have produced four songs, and I can sing them all for you now.

Why did you venture into hacking into peoples’ bank accounts and withdrawing their money?

At a point, I went to learn aluminium job, but I left the job to start this ‘Wire Wire job’ and it was paying me well. I got lots of money from the hacking job.

Who taught you the job?

I was introduced to the job in Mushin, Lagos. My master is now in Dubai.

Why were you arrested with an armed robbery gang?

There was a boy called Samuel. I didn’t know that he was into robbery. He called me one day that there was an iPhone 6X I needed to hack the SIM card. I went to meet him at Toll Gate in Ibadan. He told me that the phone had been with him for more than five days; that I needed to hack the SIM and transfer the money from the bank accounts of the owner.

I checked the phone but I could not find any contact and the Bank Verification Number (BVN) of the victim. I logged into the iCloud account, but I could not find any clue to hack the bank account until I loggef into the email address of the phone owner where I saw the BVN. I input the BVN in my hacking software and saw the person’s name, date of birth and address. I registered the account and I started transferring his money from his bank accounts.

Why was it so difficult for the police to track and arrest you?

I am so accurate and I don’t make mistakes. When I got an alert SIM that I need to withdraw money from, I will open another fictitious account using the BVN of my previous victim, then I transfer money into the account for withdrawal. Any time the police want to arrest me, they will arrest the owner of the BVN of my previous victim.

How many times have you done this?

Countless times. I have seen lots of money.

Which year did you start hacking into people’s alert SIMs?

I can’t remember.

What was the highest amount of money you transferred at a go since you started the job?

Five hundred thousand naira. But I have realised lots of money with the hacking of alert SIMs.

Is it possible to hack into people’s accounts without having their ATM cards once you have their SIM cards?

Yes! I check the social media to check for their date of birth. Based on the information gathered, I guess the login details.

How were you arrested?

The police had been trailing and tracking me for a long time, but I shuted between Ibadan and Abeokuta and this made it difficult for them to arrest me. They then arrested someone very close to me; the Disk Jockey (DJ) who was helping me to produce my songs. I was arrested in Ibadan.

Is there an incantation or a charm you do to aid your operation?

No! I only go to pastors and alfas (Muslim clerics) to pray. I go to mosques and churches to pray for God’s mercy before I start hacking into my victims’ bank accounts to withdraw their money. I have never done a charm in a herbalist’s house. I don’t have an incision on my body.

It is not easy to get money. I never did any charm for the purpose of hacking into people’s accounts.

If I go to a church and a mosque and the cleric asks me for my requests from God, I tell them that all I need is God’s mercy. I have faith in God’s mercy.

Does your parent know that you are into hacking people’s bank accounts?

No. But they know that I am a Yahoo boy. They all know that I am into internet fraud. I am not an armed robber.

What do you use the money you withdraw from your victim’s bank accounts for?

I pay house rent, studio charge for my hip-hop tracks, buy clothes, get foodstuffs and manage myself.

What is the title of the song you have produced?

Won ni awa go (they say we are stupid) and Omo Ijoba (Government’ child).

How do you get the inspiration for your songs?

After I swindle people, I do have inspiration to sing.

Many unsuspecting Nigerians, particularly traders and artisans, have fallen victim to fraudsters who disguise as microfinance operators, losing millions of naira to the banks financial experts described as Ponzi, reports KUNLE AKINRINADE.

It was an unusual crowd in front of the twin office tucked inside a shopping mall in Oke-Odo area of Abule-Egba, a Lagos suburb. Lamentations rented the air as sympathisers tried fruitlessly to calm down a roundly built woman identified simply as Mrs. Alimi.

The poor woman had thrown herself on the floor and burst into tears in full public glare as she lamented her fate, having been swindled  by the operators of a microfinance bank in the neighbourhood known as Moneyplus.

”My entire life has crashed! Where do I start from now? How do I pick up the pieces of my life?” she wailed.

”I gave them N40,000 and they promised to give me five times my money but they have disappeared into the thin air. I have been scammed of my hard-earned money. My life has finished,” she added.

But she was not alone in her plight. Olajide Ojo, a welder, shares the same experience. Ojo said he deposited close to N50,000 with the microfinance outfit in the hope that he would be able to get a facility to purchase a welding machine that would cost aboutN300,000, but like other victims of the bank, his hope was dashed as the operators of the finance house bolted when it was time to reward their unsuspecting customers with sums that were twice their deposits as loans.

”I’ve been duped.I’ve been duped. My Ah! N150,000 gone just like that? If I knew that they were fraudsters, I would not have patronised them at all.

“The money I deposited with them were proceeds of some jobs I did for my customers in the last six months. I saved hard and denied myself and my family of luxuries just so I could save for the equipment I had been trying to acquire to boost my work, not knowing that I would live to regret it.

”Actually, it was a friend that introduced the finance house to me. He had been depositing his money with the firm but he too was swindled.”

A trader, Bisi Mohammed, said she lost more than N30,000 to the financial institution, saying: ”I was hoping to get s bountiful loan as promised by the operators of the finance firm, not knowing that they are fraudusters.

”My N30,000 is gone and my hope of obtaining a loan 10 times the sum I deposited has hit the rock.”

 Other cases

Many cases involving operators of microfinance institutions who swindled their unsuspecting customers have been reported in recent times. One of them occurred in August 2019 in the ancient city of Kano where a woman, Amina Kabo, who operated Olive Microfinance Bank allegedly defrauded customers to the tune of N897,500 after luring them with bogus loan facilities.

Hundreds of customers comprising traders, artisans, and farmers in Ikare-Akoko area of Ondo State were devastated after a microfinance bank operating under the name Victory Development Multi-Purpose Limited allegedly defrauded them of millions of naira.

Police authorities in Ondo subsequently declared the operator identified as Segun Akindele wanted, but he reportedly fled the town with his staff and locked up his office.

How customers are swindled

The mode of operation of fraudulent microfinance banks is to ensnare their victims with the promise of mouth-watering gifts and give them more than double their deposits as loans.

Although the promise of gifts including food items like bags of rice, vegetable oil, live chickens, grinding machines and cartons of soft drinks was fulfilled, no loan was granted the poor customers.

Alimi said: ”When I deposited the sum of N15,000 with them, I was given a 10 kg bag of rice and a small bottle of vegetable oil. I was very happy and I thought that they were honest and kind people who would also keep their promise of giving us a loan in the sum that is more than double our deposits with their bank.

”I deposited more and more money into the account they opened for me, not knowing that the gift items were just a bait to lure me and others into their trap.”

Alimi’s remarks were echoed by Ojo, who also said he got a gift of chicken and 25kg rice after he made an initial deposit of N20,000.

”I could not have known that the owners of the bank were fake because they promised customers some food items as gifts and multiples of the values of their deposits as loans.

“I was given a live chicken and 25kg bag of rice when I deposited the sum of N20,000 in the account they claimed to have opened for me, but before I knew it, they had scammed me.”

According to a preliminary report by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in the case of Mrs. Kabo and her accomplices, ”the suspects have been collecting money from their victims under the guise of opening an account for them and giving them a loan.

” Meanwhile, the categories of loans that will be given are based on the amount used in opening the account. For instance, anyone who uses N5,000 to open an account, he or she will be entitled to N50,000. Subsequently, the more the money used to open an account with them, the more the loan that will be given in return.

”However, it was all fake. No loan, no matter how small, has been remitted to any of their customers.

How operators move from neighbourhoods to neighbourhoods

The mode of operation of fraudulent finance houses is to set up multiple offices in different parts of the country and move from one location to another after scamming innocent customers of their hard earned money through bogus loan facilities and bonus on money deposited.

For example, the EFCC discovered that Mrs. Kabo, who initially operated her firm in Jega area of Kebbi State, subsequently relocated her fake Olive Microfinance Bank to No. 26 Dubabe Plaza, Sokoto, where she was later apprehended by operatives of the anti-graft agency in December 2019.

A statement released by the spokesperson of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, said: “The suspect was arrested on December 4, 2019, at No. 26 Dubabe Plaza, Opposite Asibiti, Eastern By-Pass, Tamaje, Sokoto following a tip-off. The suspect was arrested alongside three others whom she recruited as staff –Mariam Usman, Abdulrahman Lawali, and Shehu Ibrahim.

”Further investigation revealed that the suspect operates such a scheme in Jega and Gwandu in Kebbi State respectively.”

In August 2019, a 10-man syndicate behind a fake microfinance bank was busted by the operatives of Oyo State Police Command. The syndicate, according to the then Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Shina Olukolu, was found to have operated illegal banks in Lagos and Lokoja in Kogi State but had relocated to Ibadan to further their nefarious activities after defrauding people in the places they had established their fake bank- STAAGMART Nigeria Limited.

Operatives also recovered from the syndicate the sum of N961,375 and a certificate of incorporation of the bank which, according to the police, is located  at D69 in Oyingbo area of Lagos.

Olukolu said the suspects were apprehended following a tip-off that some hoodlums suspected to be armed robbers lodged at S.L Hotel in Boluwaji area of Ibadan.

“The company is a financial institution and gives soft loan to customers. The customers are expected to invest N30,000 and above to be entitled to 10% of the total money invested within five days.”

”The suspects, after receiving a huge unspecified amount of money from customers in Lokoja, absconded with the money to Ibadan and lodge at S.L Hotel where they were arrested.”

The brains behind the Ikare-Akoko microfinance bank allegedly disappeared with customers’ funds after tricking the customers to obtain a registration form for N1, 000 and pay another N4,000 for insurance, after which they would have to pay between N10,000 and N50,000 to qualify them for a loan of N250,000 and above.

The customers were reportedly assured that the loan would be made available to them in two weeks after they must have fulfilled their own part of the agreement.

The unsuspecting customers were said to have stormed the bank’s office when they did not receive any alert from the bank as promised, only to meet the place under lock, while the owner and his staff’s mobile phones were switched off.

Although the victims reported the matter to the police at Ikare Division, the operator of the bank was said to have bolted before he could be arrested.

Experts caution public

Financial experts have described microfinance outfits promising customers gift items and bogus loans as fraudulent.

They urged the public to be wary of such unscrupulous finance houses who they say are nothing but Ponzi scheme operators.

A forensic finance expert, Fidelis Oti, warned members of the public to ”show circumspection in patronising microfinance banks who operate from obscure places without proper corporate ambience.

”Most of the operators of these illegal and fraudulent microfinance banks cannot afford to pay for flat or corporate offices in open buildings. So, what they do is to rent a shop or two from where they operate with two or more staff and swindle people of their money.

”I want to urge the public to always find out or cross-check from concerned regulatory authorities if the banks are known and registered to operate as banks and not just as an ordinary firm with undefined activities.”

Oti added: ”Also, people should avoid being lured by scammers who operate as benevolent microfinance business owners, giving food items to customers and promising them 10 times the worth of their deposits as loans.

“No genuine bank will promise depositors such bogus loans. The owners of such microfinance outfits are nothing but Ponzi scheme operators like the controversial MMM, which lured people with bogus profits and defrauded them.”

In her own remarks, Ms. Peju Job, an investment analyst, noted that those who often fall victims to fraudulent ”wonder’ banks are themselves suffering from avarice.”

She said: ”I wonder how people could be lured with more than what they save with a bank if not that such people themselves love to reap from where they did not sow.

”You saved N2,000 with a purported finance house and think that the promise of getting N20,000 could be real? Ordinarily, such a promise should tell you that you are dealing with Ponzi scheme operators who are fraudulent.

“The public should be wary of embracing Ponzi operators who masquerade as microfinance bank operators.”

Our Reporter

A suspected five-man gang of kidnappers, including a lady, has been smashed by operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau Response Team (FIBRT) led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari.

The suspects have also given details of how they lured men through a popular online dating website known as Tinder to lonely spots where they attack and rob them of their valuables. The less fortunate among their victims, they said, were killed by being strangled or shot.

Three of the suspects arrested by FIBRT include Micheal Eneji  (30),  Nwachukwu  Emeka  (22)  and Success Okeke  (27).

Their arrest came on the heel of a petition filed to Kyari by the family of one of the victims, Michaels Victor.

According to a police source, on 12th January, 2021, the family of the now deceased Victor had reported to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) that their son had been missing since 6th January, 2021. With the help of intelligence gathering and support from the Technical Intelligence Unit, Force Headquarters Abuja, one of the suspects identified as  Eneji Michael a.k.a. General was arrested with two other accomplices. Police also recovered one AK-47 rifle and three magazines loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition.

The source further revealed that during interrogation, the suspects confessed to having killed the victim the very day they kidnapped him. They later led the operatives to a forest around Old Onne Road where they usually carried out their kidnapping and armed robbery operations.

On getting to the forest, it was discovered that the Divisional Police Officer In-charge of the jurisdiction, Chukwuma Emeka, a Superintendent of Police, had already recovered the corpse and deposited same in the mortuary at Okirika General Hospital.

The DPO was said to have received information on January7 that the body of an unknown person was lying on Old Onne Road, between Nyelek Filling Station and Grabek Kitchen/Bar Trailer Park.

Some inhabitants of Eleme/Onne had narrated how hoodlums turned their forest into a terror zone, especially the spot where the young man was killed, thanking IRT for coming to their rescue.

The alleged leader of the gang, Michael Eneji, who described himself as a native of Gakem community in Bekwara Local Government Area of Cross River State, narrated  how he had  been taking part in kidnapping and armed robbery  since 2011.

Eneji said: “I have been involved in kidnapping and armed robbery since 2011 when  I got my B.Sc in Business Administration. I have been operating under the guise of a naval officer.

“I used to tell people that I was a naval personnel because they used to see me wearing Navy uniform all the time.

“In 2011, I was arrested by the Department State Services (DSS) and was charged to court in a case involving receipt of a stolen phone. I was later released from court.

“In 2014, I was arrested by the Anti-kidnapping Unit in Rivers State and charged to court for the kidnapping and murder of Shola Olaseinde and Mr. Progress Benin Disi, a staffer of Shell Oil Services Company. I was also released by a high court judge after I had served six months in prison.”

Asked about their mode of operation, he said: “We normally pose as women on most of these dating sites. As soon as we lure our victim, we would arrange a meeting. If the target proved stubborn, we would bring in the lady among us to speak with him.

“If the man still insists on seeing the face of the lady, we would go on video chat. We also used a small Tecno phone that enabled us to change our voice from a man’s voice to a woman’s, just to deceive the victim.

“Once I had established a contact, I would move to the next stage, which was to convince the victim that I would satisfy his sexual urge.

“Pretending to be a girl, I would tell him to meet me at Conoil Filling Station or Nyelek Filling Station, before the trailer park on Eleme Road while one of my boys, Success, would go there and meet him, disguising as my domestic servant and directing him to my house.

“To further convince him to come, I would claim that I lived in a secluded mansion where I would not be disturbed by anyone.

“On his way to my ‘house’, Success would tell him to drive towards a deserted place where we would he laid an ambush.

“Dressed in army uniform, we would stop them, overpower the man and tie his hands and legs while we take his valuable items such ATM cards.

“It was the work of Abubakar and Otuma to tie the victim while Emeka would hold the AK-47 in case of any attack. I would then go to the Bank to withdraw whatever the victim had in his bank accounts.”

Explaining his foray into crime, Eneji, a father of two and an indigene of Cross River State, said: “After secondary school, I was admitted into Cross River University of Technology where I studied Business Administration. I worked with Crone Consulting Company for about a year before I voluntarily resigned and decided to hustle on my own.

“Sometime in 2014, I met some friends who introduced me to online dating fraud. We would download pictures of beautiful women and used them to woo men. We had a girl on standby who would respond to them if they requested for video call.

“We operated for years until one of our victims died. He was struggling to escape and we had no choice but to kill him and the police were able to track us down.

I and several others were arrested and charged to court. I was sent to prison but our lawyer was smart enough and got us released in 2015 after eight months in prison. He told us that the judge struck out the case. We only appeared in court three times and pleaded not guilty.

“I relocated to Ibadan but did not spend much time there because my cousin saw me as a burden, so I went back to our family house in Eleme. I tried my hands on different businesses and the money I made was used to rent a big house where I started rearing dogs.

“I tried my best to stay away from crime until October last year when I met Abubakar Sadiq. I knew him in those days as a fraudster, and he brought up the same business idea that landed me in prison.

“I was broke and needed money, so I decided to help Abubakar. My job was to snatch ATM cards and use them to withdraw money from the accounts of the victims.

“The lady who worked for us is known as Joy. Her role was to pretend to be a single but rich woman who works in an oil company.

“She would invite our victim to her house along Airport Road in Igwuruta-ali. As soon as the victim got close, he would be abducted and dragged into the bush where he would be detained till every kobo in his account was withdrawn.

“The victim that landed us in trouble was picked by my friend, Success. I was one of those wearing Navy camouflage. We stopped them and dragged him into the bush. I had stepped out with his ATM card when security men on patrol passed by. I ran away while Abubakar and others dragged him into the bush.

“I was waiting for the password when Abubakar called and told me that the man was dead. We all went home and two days later, the police arrested me.”

In his own confession, Success Chudi Okeke (26) said he hails from Anambra State and read Microbiology at Covenant Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State.

He said: “I met Michael so many years ago, and sometime last year I visited his house at Igwurita-ali and begged him to show me the way to make money. He told me that online dating was the way out.

“Initially, I did not want to join them but things were hard for me after graduation. I am the first son and I wanted my parents and other sibling to see me as someone who doing well. My plan was to make some money and relocate to Lagos.

“He told me that my job is to go and pick our victims and bring them to an agreed spot.

They did not tell me that our last victim died until the police arrested me. It was at the police station that I identified him through the clothe he wore on that day.

“On the agreed date, Michael gave me his number and asked me to pick him. I called and told him that my madam who worked in an oil company requested that I should  bring him to the house. I picked him at a bus stop near Conoil on Refinery Road.

On our way, we passed through the agreed spot and our gang members dressed in military uniforms stopped us. It was around 8 pm. They asked why we were passing through there and pretended to be searching us. Then they overpowered the man and dragged him into the bush.

“I was waiting for them to collect his ATM card and password when I saw flash lights from real security men on patrol. I ran away and later called Michael who told me to go home and wait  till further notice. I was actually waiting when policemen arrested me.

Another suspected member of the gang, Emeka Nwachukwu (22) said: “I am not part of their Online dating fraud business. I was arrested because police saw an AK47 in my room. It was given to me by boss, Ojieme, who is a militant and a cultist. He is one of those who provide security during campaigns.

“It was one of these days that I went to watch them and, unfortunately, I was grabbed by some boys and forced to become a cultist. Once they initiate you, anything you are asked to do, you must comply or they punish you the way you will live to regret.

“He taught me armed robbery and I have joined him several times to rob houses in my community, Igwurita-ali. The highest amount I made from robbery operations has never exceeded N40,000.

“I knew Micheal (Eneji) as a naval officer in my community, and everyone respected him. If you had a problem, he would come and help you to sort it out with the police or any security agency.  “During my grandfather’s burial, I contacted him to provide security. I gave him that AK47 because they did not have enough weapons. After the event, he gave it back to me.

Eneji confessed that the gang had fleeced so many men before they were arrested by men of the Intelligence Response Team. He recalled that while some of the victims survived the attacks, others did not.

Advising would be criminals, he said: “I hope Nigerians will understand and realise the pros and cons of electronic dating to reduce such dangerous crimes.

By Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

The old saying that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers was demonstrated at the multi-million naira timber market in Nnewi, Anambra State last week.

The Ogbo Osisi part of the Nkwo Nnewi market known for timber and other forms of building materials was reportedly gutted by a fire outbreak that destroyed more than 108 shops.

On February 17, the traders had gone to the market with expectations of huge sales, oblivious of the calamity that would befall them.

Many of the traders were said to have restocked their shops with goods worth millions of naira a few days before the ugly incident.

Unknown to the traders, some hoodlums suspected to be hard drugs sellers and consumers, who had clashed with some cultists in the area, had sneaked into the market as they were being pursued by security operatives.

The hoodlums were said to have made their way straight to an erosion site at the south end of the market to avoid being arrested by the security agents on their trail.

Determined to smoke out the hoodlums from their hiding place, the security operatives allegedly set fire to the site. Regrettably, the fire became so huge that it spread to a section of the market, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira.

The Nation gathered that efforts made by the security operatives in conjunction with the traders in the market to contain the fire could not yield much result, hence great damage had been done before the arrival of the men of the fire service.

Narrating their ordeal, some victims of the incident, who spoke to The Nation, described themselves as innocent ‘grasses’ who suffered mighty losses at the hands of two ‘elephants’ over an altercation that ensued between the police and the hoodlums.

Although the police had shortly after the incident absolved themselves of blame in the inferno, many of the traders pointed accusing fingers at them and other security agents in the area.

They said although the actions of the security agents might not have been deliberate, the incident could have been avoided if they had been more circumspect in the way they handled the hoodlums’ matter.

One of the victims, Comrade Godwin Okorie, identified the security operatives involved in the incident to include the police and members of the vigilance group in the area.

Okorie, who claimed to have lost about 16 vehicle engines and other goods including airconditioners, freezers, executive chairs and saw mill to the inferno, appealed to the government for assistance.

He said: “We were surprised when we saw large number of men of the vigilante accompanied by the DPO, Nnewi division. They didn’t even consult the chairman of the union but went straight to the erosion site.

“Many of us who witnessed the incident saw the one they call Ethel. They suddenly ignited fire there, claiming they were pursuing criminals so that the fire could push them out to where they could be caught.

“But when it became obvious that they could not control the raging fire, they all ran out from the site, jumped inside their vehicles and zoomed off. Before the people who were around could stop them to demand that they should go back and extinguish the fire, they had all disappeared.

“You can see one of the vehicles they abandoned. What we’re hearing now is that they have denied that they were the ones that set the place on fire. They claimed it was the criminals. How can it be people from 100 miles away?

“I am the owner of this office. You can see the airconditioners, freezers, executive chairs. The other side was where I had my two saw mills. They are all burnt. I lost almost 16 (vehicle) engines. My colleague here, Ifeanyi, lost three engines. There were others who lost everything.

“Here in the timber shade, government gave us a borehole but they have refused to allow it to function. They cannot pump water.

“The most annoying aspect of the whole episode is that it happened in the day time. If it were to be at night, they would use the excuse that it happened at an odd time. Even at day time, they could not help us.

“See all the damages. I could only rescue two-thirds of my property. They failed to assist us. If the borehole was to be functional, it would not have gotten to this extent.

“The major people that ignited the fire were the police and the one they call Ethel from Uruagu here. We were not fewer than 50 persons who witnessed the incident. Now they have rendered us useless and there’s nothing we can do.” Another witness, Ifeanyi Chikwe, who described the actions of the security agencies as selfish, wondered why they would resort to igniting fire, knowing the inflammable nature of many of the goods in the market.

He said: “We were here around noon when we saw some policemen led by the DPO, anti-cults and Nnewi vigilante going inside the market. We saw the leader of the vigilante wearing native and putting on his lighter. We were shouting, ‘Stop, stop, here is timber shade, you’ll spoil things here,’ but they didn’t care to listen to anyone.

“The next thing we saw was fire everywhere. We were trying to secure our property, so we quickly ran to the borehole with a hose, trying to quench the fire, but the whole thing overwhelmed us.

“I know the act was not intentional. I know they didn’t have plans to burn down this market. But it was purely selfish interest which they allowed to destroy our property. But for them to come out now denying that they don’t know who set the market on fire, that it was the criminals, they are typical liars.

“We saw them. I personally saw them with my two naked eyes. We can count up to 100 persons that saw them.

“We saw everything that happened. When it became obvious that the fire had overwhelmed them, they ran out, using bullets. We can’t pursue armed men with bare hands. All we did was to resort to controlling the fire so it would not spread to other sections.

“Unfortunately, no tanker agreed to enter the market. The only one that agreed to help us got burnt in the process. We can’t use ordinary hand to quench the raging fire. We don’t have enough manpower to do that.”

The visibly devastated trader quantified the loss he incurred in the inferno at over N10 million, lamenting that “they have rendered me useless. All my resources are here. It is my entire life.”

Also speaking, Chief Dozie Egwuonwu, another trader in the market, said he had just stocked goods worth N3 million which were all consumed by the fire. The Chairman, Nnewi Timber Dealers Association, Chief Nonso Nnetu, who could not specifically identify the cause of the fire, alleged that the inferno started when security operatives entered the erosion site in search of suspected cultists, hard drugs sellers and consumers.

He said: “A combined team of security operatives made up of the police and vigilance groups arrived the market with about eight patrol vehicles and moved straight to an erosion site at the south end of the market in search of cultists, hard drug sellers and consumers.

“Soon after they entered the valley around 12 pm, we saw smoke with flames rising from the area. Though the operatives, while pursuing the suspects, tried to put out the fire with the assistance of the traders, they couldn’t.”

Nnetu regretted that no fewer than 108 shops, processing machines and other goods worth millions of naira were lost to the inferno.

He said: “As I speak with you now, I am still feeling sleepy because I left this market around 4 am. I was still trying to catch some sleep when I was called to come back to the market. You can see my reddish eyes.

“So far, we have paid for over 1,500 litres of water from 170 tankers to extinguish the fire but it is still raging. We really need serious intervention from both the state and federal governments to recover from this great loss.”

Reacting, the police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, dismissed police’s alleged responsibility for the fire as false and misleading and targeted at creating tension and anarchy in the state.

He said the fire was occasioned by a clash between a cult group and drugs sellers at 100 Foot Road, Nnewi, resulting in serious pandemonium in the area.

He added that a total of 35 suspects had been arrested, while an axe, dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa and a motorcycle were recovered from them.

He said: “The attention of the Anambra State Police Command has been drawn to a trending video clip which has gone viral in the social media showing a fire incident at Nnewi Timber Market in which the recorder claimed the Nigeria Police Force was responsible.

“The report is not only false but absolutely misleading with the tendency of creating tension and anarchy in the state. “For the avoidance of doubt, on 17/2/2021 at about 10 am, a cult group and drugs sellers had a clash at 100 Foot Road, Nnewi, causing serious pandemonium in the area.

“Following the report, police patrol teams in conjunction with local vigilante group quickly mobilised to the scene and arrested four suspects on the spot.

“The remaining hoodlums blocked the road and set fire on the saw dust in a bid to prevent the police from taking the suspects to the station. The fire overwhelmed the people who tried to put it out and extended to the timber market.

“As a result, a police patrol vehicle attached to Otolo Division and three vehicles belonging to the vigilante groups were stoned by the rampaging youth.

“Meanwhile, normalcy was restored in the area and a total of 35 suspects were arrested. Exhibits recovered include an axe, dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa and a motorcycle.

“It is obvious that the recorder shared the video online with the aim of triggering anarchy in the state, which the Command and other law enforcement agencies are working assiduously to prevent.”

While urging the public to disregard the misleading video report, Mohammed warned mischief makers to be ready to face the full wrath of the law, insisting that the police would not fold their arm while criminality was being perpetrated.

On his part, leader of the vigilance groups during the joint operation, Dr Maduka Atuenyi, who doubles as the Chairman of Nnewi and Anambra South vigilance groups, absolved the police and other operatives of blame in the incident, insisting that the suspects created the fire to escape arrest.

With about 28 lives already lost as a result of reprisal attacks by herdsmen on some Ogun villages, many residents of the affected communities have resorted to taking refuge in neighbouring Benin Republic, KUNLE AKINRINADE reports.

No fewer than 28 lives have been lost in various communities in Yewa North Local Government Area, Ogun State in the last one week or thereabout as a result of deadly attacks believed to have been carried out by herdsmen. The attacks and the resultant deaths were in spite of repeated assurances of protection by the state government and security agencies.

Hostilities between herdsmen and residents of about 29 agrarian communities in the aforementioned part of Ogun State dates back to as far as 15 years. The affected villages had been attacked in recent times by terror herdsmen who were said to have camped at Eggua, a neighbouring town from where they moved with their hordes of cattle, ravaging farmlands within the Ketu-Yewa communities, which share borders with the Republic of Benin.

The villages include Ateru, Moro, Ologun, Agbon-Ojodu, Asa, Igbota, Ogunba-Aiyetoro, Oke-Odo, Ibore, Gbokoto, Iselu, Ijale, Ohunbe, Igbeme, Owode-Ketu, Igan-Alade, Lashilo, Oja Odan, Ijoun, Ateru, Moro, Ologun, Iyana Meta, Igbooro, Egbeda and Kuse, among others.

The armed herdsmen, who usually lead their flock in search of pastures because of the rich vegetation in the Ketu-speaking villages, have also been fingered in the destruction of cash crops belonging to the native farmers as well as killings and raping of women who are mostly natives of the communities.

The face-off peaked late last year when the residents prevented the herders from grazing and banished them from the communities.

The Nation had exclusively reported how some soldiers attached to 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, later escorted the herders to the villages and openly flogged residents for rejecting them.

In a bid to discountenance the report, the soldiers again visited the communities a week after the story was published asking the victims to recant, but the brutalised residents refused.

Chronicle of attacks

Investigation conducted by our correspondent revealed that in the last couple of days, some of the villages mentioned in the report have been raided and destroyed by the herdsmen.

The well-coordinated attacks started with the killing of a farmer, Dele Owoniyi by suspected herders on February 7 at Oha village in Imeko area around 1 am. Several buildings and farmlands were destroyed by the hoodlums.

It was said that the herders, who were armed with guns and machetes, immediately left for Iwoye-Ketu after carrying out the attack. Four days later, two persons were allegedly killed on Thursday, February 11 by herdsmen who stormed Owode-Ketu village.

The victims – Isiaka Apesin and Adebayo Oguntosin, among other travelers, were said to have been ambushed by the herders along Owode Ketu-Ijoun axis, who bolted into a nearby forest after killing the villagers.

The attack, according to sources, was carried out by the herders around 5 am. It was learnt that the bodies of the victims were evacuated from the scene of the attack by men of Eggua Police Division.

The next day, Friday February 12, Imotto Orile witnessed the rage of the pastoralists who shot one resident dead and hacked another one to death. Same day, in the dead of the night, the herders took their bloody attack on innocent residents to Orile-Igbooro, where they killed six villagers and set houses and vehicles ablaze, while about 15 villagers, including children, sustained varying degrees of gunshot wounds.

Three farmers were said to have been killed on Sunday, February 14 when herdsmen stormed Agbon-Ojodu village shortly after the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Edward Ajogun, visited the area.

The police commissioner, who visited some places in the troubled areas, including the palace of the Olu of Ilaro and paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, had promised adequate security of lives and property. But a few minutes after commissioner and his team left the area, the suspected herdsmen struck and killed three farmers.

Also in the dead of the night on Sunday, February 14, the herders struck at Ibeku and Asa villages (the same communities where soldiers escorted herders to brutalise residents for rejecting herdsmen on December 19 last year, killing six persons, including one Kehinde Gbadamosi whose body was set ablaze.

According to sources, the hoodlums had dragged Gbadamosi, an indigene of Oyo State, out of his house and killed him before they threw his body back into the house and razed the building.

On Monday, February 15, they moved to Ijaka-Oke and Ijaka-Isale in broad daylight and started shooting at anything in sight. By the time the smoke from their guns receded, eight villagers had been dispatched into early graves while more than 16 commercial motorcycles were set ablaze.

By the evening of the same day, they moved to Oke-Akanni and Oke-Imala villages in Ayetoro where an unspecified number of residents were killed and buildings set ablaze.

The attacks occurred few minutes after Governor Dapo Abiodun visited Oja Odan and other communities in the area with members of his cabinet and heads of security agencies for on-the spot-assessment and assured the villagers of their safety with the deployment of a special police squad to tackle the herders.

The governor said: “The delegation I sent told me what they saw. They said a lot of things happened, and as they were giving the report of what they saw, we heard that another attack happened.

“I called a security meeting this morning. And before yesterday, I had set up a task force and bought new vehicles and motorcycles for Yewaland security. The task force consists of police, soldiers, civil defence corps and hunters to help us in terms of security in your area.

“Tomorrow, by God’s grace, all the new vehicles and motorcycles will be released. The task force will be stationed here; they will not only patrol your areas and go back to Abeokuta,” he assured the people.

Abiodun also promised to foot the hospital bills of those who were injured by herdsmen, pledging to help those who lost their property during the attack by cushioning the effect of the loss.

In the early hours of Wednesday, February 17, the herders once again struck at Ilogun Orile village where they were said to have killed unspecified number of residents.

Villagers flee to Benin Republic for safety

Prompted by the spate of attacks, many villagers from the affected areas have deserted their homes. Some of the affected villages include Agbon-Ojodu, Moro, Asa, and Ibeku.

When The Nation visited the area during the week, residents were seen moving out in droves for fear of another round of attack. At Asa, the ruins of the bloody attack stared one in the face as a few of the residents who came out of hiding on sighting our correspondent lamented their woes.

Some bullet cartridges allegedly belonging to the herders littered the ground.

A man was sighted moving his family on his motorbike out of the village. The man, who asked not to be named, said he was moving his family into safety at an undisclosed community in neighbouring Republic of Benin.

He said: “I only escaped death by a whisker. But for Providence, I would have been dead by now. I don’t want to push my luck too far, so I have decided to relocate my wife and children to a village in the Republic of Benin where herdsmen are not allowed to do open grazing.

”Even if I stay back here, there is nothing to live on again. My farmland has been destroyed by these marauding herders. I am happy that I am leaving with my life intact.”

A villager said the herders embarked on a shooting spree as soon as they stormed the community in a commando-like fashion, killing people and destroying properties worth millions of naira.

He said: “After killing our people, they broke into residential buildings, stole their belongings and looted shops. They raided a phone shop, carted away several expensive phones and set the shop ablaze. A lot of our people have left for villages in Benin Republic for fear of being subjected to another attack by the mindless herdsmen.

”They brought out Gbadamosi aka Big Daddy from his house and killed him before setting his body ablaze. As you can see, his huge body has become charred from the fire.”

Monarchs, lawmakers, residents lament

Lamenting the development, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, raised the alarm on February 13 that armed herdsmen were plotting to attack key communities in Yewa area.

Oba Olugbenle said the plan of the armed herders was to hold the targeted villages down in terror as they had done in remote villages in the last one week.

In a statement, the monarch urged President Muhammadu Buhari, the state government and security agencies to contain the sustained siege on Yewaland by armed herdsmen, noting that there had been the loss of lives, outright slaughtering of people, maiming and destruction of property by the herders.

The monarch appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Abiodun and the security agencies to rise up as a matter of “extreme urgency” to their constitutional duties of securing lives and property by coming quickly to help, protect and defend them from the marauding herders.

The statement reads in part: “The criminal and dangerous activities of these herdsmen have so far happened in Egua, Oja-Odan, Igan Alade, Gbokoto, Ijoun, Owode Ketu, Ebute Igbooro, Imeko Afon and other places with reports of plans to attack major towns in Yewa land.

“The Federal Government and the state government are hereby implored, as a matter of extreme urgency, to act fast to secure the lives and properties of our people before it spirals out of complete control.”

In his remarks during the visit of Governor Abiodun to the communities, the Eselu of Eseluland, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, said the people of the affected communities were demanding that the governor give an order for the eviction of Fulani herdsmen from the land.

He said: “The herdsmen are killing our people seriously. They are killing our people in Ketuland, they raped our women, they destroyed our silos.

“They have killed a lot of our people in Ketu, Igbooro, Iselu, Agbon-Ojodu, Asa, Ibeku and Oja-Odan. Within five days, the Fulani (herdsmen) have killed five persons in Igbooro, three in Asa, making eight. Your Excellency, our people have regards for you and they know that you will be just.

“I know that if not for the governor, if we ask our people to face Fulani, there will be war. Due to this, we want the paramount ruler in Yewa to support us while we want the governor to give an order that Fulani should not come to Ketuland again.”

Lamenting the gruesome killings, a member of Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Wahab Egungbohun, condemned the murderous activities of criminal herders, noting that that the alleged murderous activities of criminal herders appeared to have peaked lately.

Reacting to the development, the senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Solomon Adeola, urged the Federal Government to stop the deadly attacks on Yewa communities by herdsmen.

The lawmaker, who is a native of Yewa land, said citizens have the right to self-defence, noting that the government had failed to respond to the attacks suffered in the communities.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Odunaro, Senator Adeola said the inaction of the Federal Government was responsible for the mindless attacks on villages in Yewa North, Imeko, Afon, Ipokia and Yewa South local government areas.

He said: “I recalled that on various occasions on the floor of the Senate, I contributed to debates on the deteriorating security situation in different parts of the country and was always agitating for restructuring of the security architecture of the country.

“I made a similar contribution to a senate-wide motion on general security only last week. Now, something specific must be done urgently to stop the arson and killings in Yewaland by relevant authorities and security agencies.”

Condemning the killings, a former member representing Yewa South/Ipokia Constituency in House of Representatives, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, suggested the deployment of surveillance drone to identify and track the herders.

He said: “The spate of killings across Ogun West, be it by men of the Nigeria Customs Service, bandits or criminal herdsmen, is evident of lack of preparedness for governance and lack of clear cut strategy on the part of the current chief security officer of the state.

“In my modest opinion, the CSO of the state should, as a matter of urgency, personally visit the affected villages and farming communities, commission the deployment of at least 50 high frequency aerial surveillance drones with night/infrared capabilities across those communities.”

Akinlade added: “The government should request from relevant federal authorities the deployment of a joint task force security patrol comprising the armed forces and the police.

“It is common knowledge that the cheapest and most efficient way to manage insecurity is to deploy deterrent mechanisms such as security tech hubs, communal intelligence gathering and leading from the front.”

Restraining order not enforced as northern governors visit

A community leader, Ishola Ademola, said the police and state authorities had failed to enforce a restraining order granted against the herders in 2007, by a State High Court sitting in Ilaro.

“We got an injunction restraining herdsmen from grazing in our communities following their destructive and deadly activities-killings and raping our women as well as ravaging our farmlands,” Ademola said.

The suit was filed by some monarchs and community leaders-Oba G.A. Olukunle; Oba Joseph Akinyemi; Chiefs Mathew Olukokun; Sabiu Bamgbola; Elijah Ayodele;Edun Samuel; A.A.Ayodele; Jimoh Abisekan; Olalekan Akintan; Ajana Fatosa and Rev. Enoch Korole.

The defendants were the Sarkin Fulani of Eggua, Alhaji Ibrahim Adamu Oloru and his deputy, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman.

In the ruling issued on November 1, 2007, the presiding judge, Justice M.A Dipeolu, held that the conduct of the herdsmen were unjustified and against the convenience of the residents.

The judge said: “The respondents and members of Fulani community in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State are hereby restrained whether by themselves, servants, agents, privies or howsoever called, from going into or grazing their cattle or carrying out any activity whatsoever on the land situate, lying and being at Gbokoto; Isale; Pedepo; Ibayun; Abule Idi; Ohumbe; Igbeme; Asa; Ibeku; Iselu; Isiuku; Agbon –Ojodu; Moro; Agebelepon; Iyana Meta; Ikotun; Kobejo; Ijoko; Igbere; Alagbe; Agero; Ijege; Oke-Odo; Orobiyi; Korole; Abule Igbo; Ebute; Olope Meta; Okoso; Kodera; Abule Balogun; Iyalode; Abule Eyo; Orisada; Ogunba Ayetoro; Agbele; Gbedun; Sekeaje all of which constitute the Isale-Iselu community of Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

“The order has neither been set aside nor appealed by the leadership of the herdsmen. Unfortunately, the police and state government failed to implement the order despite several pleadings and appeals made to them,” Ademola said.