The Nation Newspaper

Category: Crime Diary

  • Man, 22, held for allegedly beheading four kids in Abuja

    The police in Abuja have arrested a 22- year- old man, Mustapha Aliyu for allegedly beheading four children.  The children were beheaded in various villages on the outskirts of Abuja. Aliyu said he had beheaded three boys and one girl.

    He said he was paid N170,000 for each male head he brought and   N160,000 for a female head.

    He was on a mission to behead the fifth child when he was caught by the police.

    Speaking during his parade alongside 50 other suspects that were arrested for various crimes, the Commissioner of Police in charge of FCT, CP Bala Ciroma said: “On 19th May, 2019 at about 1430hrs following a distress call police operatives arrested one Mustapha Aliyu ‘M’ 22 Years in possession of a freshly severed head of a 3- year- old- boy who was later identified as Usman Awalu of Rugan Fulani close to Leleyi village in Kwali Area Council.

    “The suspect confessed that prior to his arrest, he has beheaded four children and gave their heads to his master who is now at large.

    “According to him, he is paid N170,000 for every male victim and N160,000 for every female victim.

    “He said his victims were taken from Sheda, Kwali, Kilankwa, Gwako and Leleyi villages.”

    Also Read: FCT police arrest suspect with freshly severed human head

    Ciroma said efforts were  being intensified to arrest his boss who is currently at large.

    On how he got involved in the crime, Aliyu said: “I approached Mallam Yahaya because I was stranded and I needed N7000 for my education.

    “After complaining to him, he offered me a plate of rice and malt drink. After consuming the meal, I could no longer speak. I could not even respond to what the Mallam Yahaya said.

    “I walked back to my area with a substance he gave to me. He told me that if I touch any child with it, he will not make sound. While I was walking, I saw a boy and I did as the Mallam instructed. I touched the boy and he didn’t make any sound. I later beheaded him and got N170,000 as payment for the job.

    “I have so far beheaded four children, I was on a mission  to behead the fifth child when police arrested me.”

  • ‘Why I killed my girlfriend’s mother’

    A 39-year-old dismissed policeman, Christian Ogwu, who allegedly shot dead his girlfriend’s mother, Veronica Obiejiogo, says he took the action because the woman advised  her daughter, Blessing Obiejiogo against  marrying him.

    The 45-year-old woman was shot dead by the suspect in the presence of her children at their residence in Otolokpo community in Ika North Local Government Area of Delta State.

    Ogwu allegedly fled to Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, after the shooting.

    Acting on a petition from the family of the deceased, the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, directed his operatives at the IRT, headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to go after the suspect and bring him to book.

    The suspect was eventually arrested, following a tipoff in a commercial bank in Port Harcourt, five months later.

    He alleged that  the deceased  made his girlfriend to abort the three month pregnancy she had for him ,and also  cancelled their marriage ceremony scheduled for December 27, 2018, after spending a lot of money on his girlfriend.

    Read Also: Man in Brazil kills girlfriend inside church, four others

    However, another source who pleaded for anonymity said  that the deceased discouraged her daughter from going on with the marriage with Christian following information that he  was a fraudster.

    Confessing, the suspect said: “ I am  a graduate of Marine Engineering at the University of Benin. I was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force in the year, 2000, but was dismissed after some armed robbers stole a smoke gun that was assigned to me at a checking point.  My Force Number was 371416 and I was trained at the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos,  but I was posted to Iho Police Division at the Edo State Police Command, where I served for five years before I was dismissed because a motorbike rider snatched the smoke pistol I was holding at a checking point.’’

    “ In the course of doing my fraud business, I met a girl known as Blessing Obijeogoh, at Ogwuachukwu Polytechnic Delta State and she was a student of that school. She told me she was single and we entered into a relationship and in the process she became pregnant and she aborted the pregnancy.

    ‘’She told me that she could not have a child for me because I wasn’t known to her family, so in April, 2018 I went for  formal introduction and her family asked  me to come back for a more elaborate introduction ceremony and then they will issue me the list for her marriage.

    ‘’On September 7, 2018, I went there again with my family and we had the ceremony and I got the list.  In October of that same year, she informed me that she was pregnant and I said no problem that we would have to hurry up the marriage. We then fixed December 27, 2018 as the date of the marriage and I gave her money to buy cloths we would  use for the marriage”.

    “On December 5, 2018, she called me and said she was on her way to Asaba, where I resided and after waiting for her for a long time , I started calling her and she wasn’t picking her calls.

    ‘’Then one of her brothers known as Friday informed  me that Blessing was sick and she was at the hospital in Asaba with her mother and she had complications from  abortion of the pregnancy.

    ‘’I went to the hospital to see the doctor but I was refused access to Blessing and her mother.  I noticed something was fishy, and I called her to know what was going on and she told me that she was in Asaba, in her friend’s place.

    ‘’I went there but I couldn’t see her and I waited all day without seeing her and I stopped looking for her. Surprisingly on December 21, 2018, she called me again and informed me that she had travelled to Lagos and I became very angry and confused believing that Blessing and her mother took me for a fool.   ‘’Then I  met one of my friends known as Steven and I narrated why  I was going to him and Steven then advised me to calm down, but I was so angry and I needed to deal with the girl and her mother.

    ‘’ I asked Steven to get me a gun with two live cartridges which he did and I paid him the sum of N10,000. On December 26, 2018, which was supposed to be the eve of our marriage, I took the gun to Blessing’s village, I investigated and I discovered that she was in town and when I called her she said she was in Lagos.

    He added: ‘’I went to a shop close to her shop where  I bought a bottle of dry gin and sachets of Tramadol and I took them at once to get inspiration so I won’t be scared and have a change of mind. While I did this, I sighted her mother and her younger brother walking towards my direction, and I went to them and brought out my gun and  shot Blessings mother and I watched her die from the wound before I zoomed off on the bike I rode.’’

  • ‘Why I stole three-day-old baby from Jos hospital’

    The woman who allegedly stole a three-day-old baby from Plateau State Specialists Hospital in Jos, the state capital, has given reasons for her action.

    The police arrested Mrs. Leritshimwa Dungjil Diyal early this week for stealing an infant after she lied to the mother that a doctor requested for the baby for treatment.

    She said she took the action because she is barren.

    The suspect said she had been married for seven years and could not bear a child.

    Mrs. Diyal, who was paraded at the police command’s headquarters in Jos on Thursday, also said she had tried to adopt a child but was not successful.

    “I am desperate to have a child. That was why I decided to steal one to cover myself of shame in the society,” she said.

    Read Also: Woman, 67, charged with stealing N16m from hacked account

    The command also paraded 16 other suspects for crimes ranging from culpable homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery and cattle rustling.

    Police Commissioner Isaac Akinmoyede, who paraded the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Jos, said they will be arraigned in court after investigation.

    On the stolen baby, Akinmoyede said: “Due to the painstaking and diligent investigation, coupled with medical reports, the police discovered that Leritshimwa Dungjil Diyal had not given birth as she claimed.

    “When confronted with this obvious and naked reality, she broke down and confessed to the commission on the crime. The police are investigating her claim that the crime was committed by herself alone.”

    Mrs Diyal, who addressed reporters, confirmed that she committed the crime and regretted her action.

    She said: “Honestly, I regret my action. I wish I was dead. I have been married for seven years without a child. I have tried to adopt a child, but to no avail. Honestly, my husband was not aware of the incident. I was just desperate to have a child to call my own.”

  • DSS parades ‘fake doctor’ for killing 15 patients

    The Department of State Services (DSS) has paraded a man described as a fake doctor, Ibrahim Mustapha, having operated illegally under the Adamawa State government since 2015.

    DSS State Director of Security, Bola Olori, paraded the suspect yesterday in Yola, the state capital.

    He said Mustapha, who allegedly started his alleged fake practice as a ward attendant in Gombe State, was employed in Adamawa as a doctor with alleged forged medical certificates.

    Olori said: “Preliminary investigations revealed that Mustapha holds an NBTE certificate. He perfected the act in Gombe State, where he worked as a ward attendant in several clinics.

    “He was aided by a practising doctor who gave him sample copies of his NECO result, MBBS of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate and that of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) annual registration licence, all of which he forged.

    Read Also: An Ex-DSS assistance bitter-sweet experience as a security operative

    “The suspect subsequently gained employment into the Adamawa State Health Management Board in October 2015 as a doctor and rose to the post of Principal Medical Officer, serving at the cottage hospitals in Mayo Belwa and Fufore.

    “Prior to his arrest, the suspect, in the past five years, performed hundreds of surgical operations in several hospitals in the state.

    The suspect and his accomplice have been taken into custody. They will be prosecuted after investigations.”

    The DSS director did not mention the number of casualties the suspect caused, but Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was quoted on Wednesday to have accused the suspect of causing the death of 15 people.

    The governor spoke during a ministerial briefing in Yola, saying a fake doctor who was employed in 2015 by the State Health Services Management Board was discovered to have attended a secondary school and only possessed a National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB) certificate.

    The governor said his administration will set up a committee to fish out quack doctors in the state and bring them to justice.

  • ‘Prophet’ kills, buries housewife after meeting on facebook

    The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a “prophet” of Cherubim and Seraphim, Dotun Ogunlade (aka Arole Jesu), for allegedly killing a 25-year-old housewife, Bosede Oguntade, for money rituals.

    Ogunlade was said to have started a friendship with Mrs Oguntade on facebook.

    The police said the “prophet” allegedly strangled the woman on her arrival from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, when she sought Ogunlade’s help for her spiritual problems.

    Police Commissioner Shina Olukolu, who led a team of policemen to where the woman was buried, said the head and arms of the victim were cut off before she was buried.

    Reliving how the victim was killed, the police chief said on her arrival in Igboora, the fake prophet told her to first get over the fatigue the stress of her trip from Ilorin to Igboora caused by taking sleeping drugs.

    He said Ogunlade allegedly injected her with an overdose of sleeping drugs and subsequently overpowered and strangled her.

    Olukolu said Mrs Oguntade head and arms were removed for rituals while the remaining body parts were buried in a shallow grave at Ogboja, Igboora.

    Read Also: Herbalist arrested for allegedly using human parts for money rituals

    The police chief added that following credible information and diligent investigation, the command arrested the fake prophet and his accomplices.

    “Further investigation revealed that parts of her body were burnt and ground into powder for rituals to become powerful and rich. Two knives used to kill and cut her body parts, a white clothing bag containing substance inside a gourd where the alleged powdery parts were kept and a bottle of Stallion Schnapps were also recovered,” he said.

    Olukolu urged the residents to give timely and useful information to the police to enable them serve the state better.

    “The police will continue with their resolute determination to stamp out crimes and criminality in the society. Members of the public should be careful about having absolute trust in individuals or groups who are strangers, especially those they meet on the social media or those who claim to possess the power of clairvoyance or ability to combat and treat terminal diseases or possess solutions to social and marital challenges,” Olukolu said.

    Addressing reporters, Ogunlade said he gained experience from his former boss who was also a prophet of Cherubim and Seraphim.

    He said: “The woman and I have been chatting on facebook since January. I later invited her to Igboora.

    “Mutiu, a friend of mine, had told me about his challenges. He told me he was ready for money rituals. So, I decided to use the woman for money for him.

    “When the woman later arrived from Ilorin, I went to pick her and bring her to Igboora from Iseyin. On her arrival in my house on May 31, I gave her sleeping drugs after she complained of body pains. She slept off and I cut off her head and arms. Her head was later burnt to ashes for money rituals,” Ogunlade said.

  • ‘UNIBEN student was raped before committing suicide’

    Christabel Omore Buoro Owoicho, a 300-level student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) who was found dead in her room, was raped before she committed suicide, her friend and uncle have said.

    Earlier report had said she committed suicide because of a strained relationship with her boyfriend.

    She was said to have locked herself indoors after her roommate had left the hostel, increased the volume of her music player, left a note and committed the act.

    Her roommate, identified simply as Folakemi, as well as a man who identified himself as the deceased’s uncle, Ben Bamiyi, said Christabel was an introvert.

    Read Also: UNIBEN student commits suicide over ‘heartbreak’

    “She had never had a boyfriend in her entire life. Christabel was exceptionally brilliant,” Bamiyi said.

    Sources said the late Christabel was a virgin before her encounter with the rapist.

    Police spokesman Chidi Nwabuzor, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said no arrest had been made though investigation into the incident had begun.

    “Investigators said the suicide note was incoherent. Professionals will examine the body to ascertain if she was a psychiatric patient,” Nwabuzor said.

  • Three teachers, student held for alleged exam malpractice

    The police, in collaboration with West African Examination Council (WAEC), have arrested three teachers and a student for alleged examination malpractice.

    The police said the arrest was carried out by the cybercrime unit of the Force in collaboration with WAEC.

    The suspects are: Ihuokanma Darlington, 36; Ernest Kelechi, 33; Godstime Onuoha, 35 and Uche Chukwuma.

    Darlington, a Political Science graduate of Anambra State University, teaches at Okon Grammar School in Anambra State.

    Kelechi, who is a graduate of Physics from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Akwa, teaches at Community Secondary School, Ogah, while Onuoha is Head of Department (HOD) Mechanical Engineering graduate from Federal Polytechnic, Nekede. He teaches at Pathway Secondary School in Ngor Okpala, Imo State.

    Chukwuma is a student at Charry Secondary School in Rivers State.

    They were arrested in Imo, Anambra and Rivers states.

    The police said the suspects were involved in the transmission of examination questions and answers of the West African Senior Certificate Examination (WASSCE) through the social media.

    Speaking on Thursday at the parade of the suspects at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital, Force spokesman Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said they were found to have snapped pictures of the examination questions and their solutions on the social media.

    Read Also: Lagos campaigns against exam malpractice

    Condemning their actions, Mba said: “It is a social ill that the police are working collaboratively with relevant agencies to tackle.

    “The Nigeria Police Force has in its custody four male suspects who were arrested and investigated for the roles they played in directly facilitating examination malpractice in the just-concluded WAEC.

    “Paradoxically, of these four suspects, three are teachers. We find this very disturbing because teachers are supposed to help in nurturing the students and be the custodians of the highest level of ethics in our educational system.

    “They are supposed to protect and strengthen the integrity of the system and play leading roles at ensuring that persons who are issued with certificates are deserving of the honours that go with the certificates.

    “The suspects committed the offence using their phones. This highlights some of the challenges associated with the growing use of the social media and the revolution that comes with information technology.

    “They were transmitting the answers to various questions through the social media, using their smartphones.”

  • EFCC re-arraigns American over $1.2m ‘Green Card fraud’

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday re-arraigned an American, Marco Antonio Ramirez, before an Ikeja Special Offences Court for allegedly defrauding three Nigerians of $1,229,800 under the pretext of securing America’s Green Card for them.

    Those allegedly defrauded by the American and his companies are: Ambassador Godson Echejue, Abubakar Umar Sodiq and Olukayode Sodimu.

    The American was re-arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on an amended 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence.

    The accused was arraigned alongside his companies, U.S.A Now LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP and U.S.A Now Capital Group.

    Ramirez and co-defendants were first arraigned on June 22, 2017 before Justice Josephine Oyefeso on a 16-count charge but pleaded not guilty to the alleged offences.

    Following his plea, he was admitted to bail for $25,000.

    Read Also: EFCC arrests seven suspected internet fraudsters in Kwara

    Midway into his trial, his case file was transferred to Justice Dada, making his trial to start de novo (afresh).

    During proceedings yesterday, Ramirez again pleaded not guilty to the amended 12-count charges brought against him by the EFCC.

    EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, N. S. Oweize, asked the court for a trial date.

    The defendant’s lawyer, Ademola Adefolaju, who did not oppose the prosecutor’s request, prayed the court to let his client continue with the bail terms earlier granted him by Justice Oyefeso when he was first arraigned.

    When the judge asked the accused if he had fully complied with the bail term, Adefolaju confirmed that his client had fully complied with the bail terms.

    The lawyer said his client had also been visiting EFCC’s office, as directed by the court.

    Following his submissions, Justice Dada granted the request of the defence.

    She held: “Since the defendant has not breached any of the bail terms granted by my brother judge, the defendant is hereby allowed to continue with the terms.”

    The judge adjourned the matter till October 7, 8, 9 and 10 for trial.

  • Video: Nursing mother held for possession of firearm

    Operatives of Operation Puff Adder have arrested a nursing mother, Simeon Esther, for alleged possession of one AK47 rifle and 18 rounds of live ammunition.

    The police said the firearm, which the suspect allegedly concealed in a travel bag, was meant for a kidnap operation in Ogun State.

    Esther said she was promised N5,000 by her husband, who she said asked her to deliver the bag to someone in Ogun State.

    The police said other members of the gang were awaiting the weapon, which would have been used to kidnap a senior citizen in the state.

    But the police did not give details of the foiled kidnap operation.

    Read Also: ‘I got illegal firearms to protect myself’

    Esther was among 38 suspects paraded on Wednesday at the Special Tactical Squad headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital, for alleged kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, car theft and culpable homicide.

    During the parade, Force spokesman Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said: “A mother and a wife, Simeon Esther, was arrested in Ondo State for possession of one AK47 rifle and 18 rounds of live ammunition.

    “The operatives of Operation Puff Adder prevented her from getting to her destination.  She was on a mission to deliver the gun to a gang in Ogun State. The gang had perfected plans to kidnap one of the senior citizens in Ogun State but we were able to nip the crime in the bud.

    “They selected her because she is a nursing mother and they believed they would easily beat the prime eyes of our operatives and other security agencies. But we intercepted her and intercepted the expected end recipient of the weapon, thereby aborting the kidnap operation.”

    On how she got involved, Esther said: “On Wednesday, my husband (Bright Gbade) called me and asked me to go and deliver the bag to somebody in Ogun State. He did not even tell me the name of the person; he only told me that the person would call me.

    “I did not know the content of the bag and they did not even allow me to carry the bag. They carried the bag themselves to the motor park.  It was while we were on our way that the policemen searched the bag and found the gun in it.

    “We have been married for two years and I did not know that my husband is a criminal. My husband said he is a fisherman when he was asking me out and before I accepted his proposal, he said he was one of the militants who surrendered their weapons during the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

    “I even relocated to my mother’s house because of the way he treats me. I was at my mother’s house when he called me to help him deliver the bag in Ogun State and he promised to give me N5,000, but he ended up not giving me.”

  • Two men remanded for ‘abducting three children’

    An Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday remanded in prison custody two men – Charles Amakanyadioha and Raphel Amaechi – for allegedly kidnapping three children.

    Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo gave the order after hearing a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping preferred against them by the State Criminal Intelligence Investigation Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba.

    Amakanyadioha and Amaechi, both 52, pleaded not guilty.

    Following a police request, Mrs Adedayo remanded the defendants and adjourned further proceedings till June 25.

    Read Also: 920 suspects arrested for kidnapping, murder, others in four weeks, says IG

    Earlier, prosecuting Inspector Chinalu Uwadione told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 1:40 p.m on June 14 at Gboke Street, Ijagemo in Ikorodu, Lagos.

    Uwadione said the defendants kidnapped three children aged two, four and six years.

    They are children of Mr Timothy Adeposi and Mrs Rashidat Oyedotun.

    The offences, the prosecutor added, contravened sections 2 and 3 of the Kidnapping Prohibition Laws of Lagos State, 2017.