The Nation Newspaper

Category: Crime Diary

  • Motorists lament traffic gridlock on Lagos roads

    Motorists in various parts of Lagos State  have lamented heir nightmarish experience inside traffic log-jams on the roads.

    They attributed the gridlock to bad spots and potholes on the roads.

    Not a few residents expressed disappointment with the situation , which some of them claimed had forced them to resort to trekking in a bid to get to their destinations, while others arrived late at work.

    A job seeker, Adebukola Mary, who lives in Mushin, a Lagos suburb, said she recentlymissed a job interview appointment due to traffic gridlock.

    She said: ‘’I have experienced many traffic gridlocks in recent times. There was a day I was told to come for a job interview in a company based at Lekki Phase 2 by 10am; I stayed at Mushin, so I left home as early as 8:30am, but I couldn’t make it to the Island  for almost two hours. I was held up at CMS Bus stop. I couldn’t make it to my destination on time, and I lost a golden opportunity because the manager of the company said that he was not ready to listen to my excuses for turning up late for the interview.

    A student of Ransome Kuti Memorial Senior Grammar School, Mushin, who simply identified himself as Lawal, said he usually miss resumption time due to the bad spots located between Olosha and Idi-Oro bus top.

    “The road has become deplorable and it causes huge traffic gridlock. Most times, we even have to come down from the bus to trek school so we can make it to school in time.”

  • Boy who ran away from Ilorin found in Lagos

    An Ilorin-based farmer, Mr Atanda Babatunde, penultimate Friday found his son, Sulaiman Babatunde, whose life as a street kid was published by The Nation a few weeks ago.

    In the report, ‘Why we ran away from home’, published on Saturday October 13, 2018, Sulaiman and other street kids gave reasons why they fled from their parents’ home to seek shelter  and work on the streets of Lagos.

    Sulaiman had explained that he accompanied one of his uncles called Ahmed to Lagos.

    He said: ‘’One Mr Ahmed, who is like an uncle to me came to Ilorin, and asked my parents to let him take me to Lagos to work. And my parents accepted the offer because things were not going well for them and they needed money to take care of my siblings.

    ‘’On getting to Oshodi, Mr Ahmed engaged me in some petty jobs he was doing like carrying load for people and shoppers at the Oshodi Market and bus conducting among others.  Last year, Mr Ahmed and a friend told me they had a job at Ajah, and that they would have to stay there for a few days while I was asked to stay back in Oshodi till they return. But since then, I have not set my eyes on them.

    ‘’The irony is that I have been in Lagos for two years now, and my parents believe that I am doing well with the so called uncle.

    “ I don’t have an apartment of my own, I sleep under the bridge;  sometimes in a filling station. I do not have the means to reach my parents, because I don’t have a mobile phone, neither do I have their numbers. Even my uncle, Mr Ahmed, did not leave his mobile phone number for me when he was leaving, and that is why I keep wandering around Oshodi helplessly.’’

    Clutching a copy of the paper, Sulaiman’s distraught father, who was accompanied to The Nation’s head office by his younger brother, Salaudeen, and a neighbor denied knowing the said ‘Uncle Ahmed’ his son claimed brought him to Lagos.

    He explained that Sulaiman was living with his maternal grandmother at the Ita Merin area of Ilorin, when he ran away to Lagos.

    He explained that he was preparing for his secondary education when he suddenly absconded from home without a trace, until some pupils brought a copy of the paper wherein his son’s story was published.

    ‘’ I don’t know the said Uncle Ahmed who brought him(Sulaiman) to Lagos. I live in Kaima area of Kwara State, where I have a farm, and because of the distance, I decided to leave Sulaiman with his grandmother, because he was preparing to begin his secondary education.

    ‘’Besides, I enrolled him as an apprentice cobbler which he juggles with his education and he’s doing well on the job. He does not lack anything at all, but I guess he caved in to peer pressure and bolted from home with some of his friends.’’

    Sulaiman was later traced to Oshodi, where his colleagues there told his father that he had gone to work as porter in Ijora.

    He was subsequently located at the cattle market in Ijora, where he was seen carrying loads for shoppers.

    Speaking with The Nation shortly after he was brought to his uncle’s Lagos home, Sulaiman said he would no longer run away from home.

    ‘’ I have learnt my lesson sir. I won’t run away from home again. I am returning to Ilorin with my father to continue with my education.’’

  • EFCC arrests 24 undergraduates, others over cyber crime

    Operatives of Ibadan zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 36 suspected internet fraudsters at 21, Sawmill Road, Awa-Ijebu, Ogun State.

    The commission’s acting Head, Media and Publicity, Mr Tony Orilade, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

    Orilade stated that the suspects, who were between 19 and 37 years of age, included 23 university students, out of which, nine were ladies who allegedly claimed to be girlfriends and or neighbours of some of the suspects.

    He added that one of the suspects was from another university, while 12 others were not students.

    He stated that EFCC got wind of their activities through intelligence reports alleging that the suspected fraudsters were obtaining money by false pretence.

    He said: “The suspects carry out their activities by sending emails to unsuspecting victims mostly in the United States of America, while others were engaged in romance scam on several dating sites.

    “At the point of arrest, EFCC operatives recovered over 300 SIM cards from them.”

    Orilade said other items recovered from the suspects included different models and brands of exotic cars, 18 laptops, nine being of Apple brand, 50 cell phone, including 21  iphones and two bags of fetish objects.

    A source told The Nation that millions of naira was found in the bank account of one of the suspects identified simply as Biggie, who was planning to buy the latest model of a top automobile brand.

    The source added that about 13 posh cars were recovered from the suspects.

    Orilade added that the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.

  • Police arrest two suspects as residents scoop fuel from vandalised pipeline

    Men of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two suspected pipeline vandals in the Ikotun area of Alimosho Local Government.

    The suspects were arrested by men of Ikotun Division on Monday for vandalizing Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines, in the Omo Onile area of Ikotun, in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    The vandals, it was said, had loaded about two tankers, before they fled on sighting policemen, while they were loading fuel into third tanker.

    The suspects, according to sources, were sighted by an operative of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), who was on his way to work in the early hours of the day.

    The unnamed policeman alerted one of his senior colleagues attached to the Ikotun Division who promptly mobilised his men to the scene tucked behind Nobex Bus stop, Ikotun.

    On sighting the minions of law, the vandals were said to have made attempt to run away, but they were promptly apprehended by the police.

    The Nation learnt that the suspects and their truck filled with fuel stolen from the pipeline are now in police custody.

    At the scene, residents were seen scooping fuel from the pipelines as the vandals did not wait to properly lock its valves in their bid to escape.

    A senior police officer who asked not to be named disclosed that he led the operation and ensured the suspects were arrested when they abandoned their tanker and fled from the scene.

    ‘’The incident happened around 4 am on Monday. An operative of IRT who sighted the vandals alerted me on the telephone and I moved my men to the scene.

    ‘’On getting to the scene, I quickly alerted a chieftain of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ (PTDA) Association at Ejigbo NNPC Depot, because we met the pipeline spilling fuel at the scene.

    ‘’We had altercation with the operatives of a para-military agency, who claimed that it was their responsibility to handle the case, albeit, but we rebuffed them because the police have statutory general duty obligations and we are not restricted in our mandate to protect lives and property.

    ‘’On our invitation, men of the Lagos State Fire Service and officials of NNPC also came to the scene to prevent fire outbreak and secure the place.

    ‘’The Lagos State Police Commissioner subsequently directed that the matter be transferred to the IRT’s office in Ikeja, hence, the suspects and their tanker are now being detained there.’’

    A chieftain of PTDA, who did not want his name in print described the incident ‘’as one too many, which has affected our operations drastically, so much so that we no longer have enough fuel to load into tankers at the depot.

    ‘’Before, we used to load up to 1,200 tankers per day at Ejigbo NNPC Depot, but the figure has reduced to paltry 200 because of shortage of fuel arising from the activities of vandals in the last few weeks. Now, because of the latest incident, we only managed to load 40 trucks today.

    ‘’It’s an indictment on the para-military outfit deployed to secure oil installation in the country that vandals have increased the tempo of their nefarious operations in Lagos State.’

  • Bayelsa Vigilance Service apprehends killers of NDU student in Yenagoa

    The Bayelsa State government has confirmed the arrest of two suspected killers of Miss Seieyefa Fred, who was gunned down by suspected cultists on robbery mission in Yenagoa on November 8, 2018.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor of Bayelsa State on Security, Mr. Boss Spero-Jack, said that the two suspects who were linked to the murder of Seiyefa, a 100  level student of Mathematics in the Niger Delta University were apprehended by the Bayelsa State Vigilante Service on Friday.

    According to him, the two suspects, Junior Danumunabo aged 20, from Nembe Local Government Area of the state and one Ezeago were picked up after sustained investigation into the heinous crime at Amarata by 5am in the early hours of Friday.

    He said that the preliminary findings indicated that Ezeago was the leader of the gang who gave the gun with which Seiyefa was killed by Danumunabo.

    He said that the suspects have been handed over to the Nigerian Police for further interrogation.

    The governor’s aide added that efforts were being intensified to ensure the arrest of all those involved in the murder of the NDU student.

    He assured the people of  Bayelsa of the determination of the state government to continue to give priority to the protection of lives and properties of the citizenry.

    Spero-Jack-Jack said that the government would ensure that the state was briefed on the outcome of the ongoing investigation into the death of the 16-year old..

    He said that government would ensure that those who killed her and their collaborators  who constitute threat to the lives of innocent Bayelsans are made to face the wrath of the law, adding that the government would continue to give priority to security as a major factor for development and stability in the state.

    He urged the citizens to be calm as the security agencies continue with the investigation.

  • Tension in Lagos community over ‘unlawful’ installation of chief

    There is tension in Orile Alagbado community in Ojokoro area of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State, following the
    installation of a new Iyalode of the town.

    The new Iyalode was installed on Thursday morning at the palace of the monarch of the town, Oba Hameed Saaka Taiwo.

    The Saaka Taiwo royal family however described the installation of the new chief, identified simply as Ramota as ‘unlawful’.

    The family said the disturbing news of the installation had unsettled the community with residents contemplating protests to condemn their rejection of the new traditional chief.

    The family described it as worrisome that the installation was supervised by some traditional rulers led by the monarch of Ifakoland, Oba Fatusi Obawole, whose domain they said was outside of Orile Alagbado.

    The family urged Governor Akniwunmi Ambode, and Ojokoro Local Council Development Area to intervene in the matter in order to stave off breakdown of law and order.

    The family head, Chief Saminu Saaka Taiwo explained that there had been unresolved issues regarding the title of Iyalode lately.

    He said: ‘’Ramota Adegoke, a maternal family member desperately wanted the title, but she was rejected by 80 percent of Saaka Taiwo family members  because she is the Iyaloja of Aiyewadun in Alagbado, and many petitions had been written to appropriate quarters on the issue. But one Samsideen, led Oba Fatusi Obawole  and others to the palace and made our 96-year- old monarch to install the woman, without the presence of palace chiefs.’’

    A member of the family, who is also one of the sons of the community’s monarch, Prince Jamiu Saaka Taiwo said Oba Obawole lacked the power to install a chief in Orile Alagbado.

    ‘’ I was surprised when I came to resume at the palace on Thursday morning to see Onifako and others supervising the installation of the woman. I tried to stop them and I began to protest because they took advantage of my father’s old age. They invited the police to arrest me and I was released a few hours after the ceremony was over,’’ said Princess Seun Saaka Taiwo, who is also the palace secretary.

    Contacted, Oba Obawole described the allegations as baseless.

    The monarch said that only the Chieftaincy Council of the local government area has the right to install chiefs in any community.

    The monarch explained that a faction of the Saaka Taiwo family had rejected all efforts made by the  chieftaincy council to resolve the matter.

    ‘’ We contacted the family and on more than five occasions we appealed to them to sheathe their swords and support the nomination of Ramota, but they refused to respect our intervention. Ramota is their family member and she has the support of majority of the family members, except the faction that was against her.

    ‘’We went to the palace as leading members of the Chieftaincy Council of both Ifako Iajiye and Ojokoro LCDA to supervise the installation in the presence of the town’s monarch, who even prayed profusely for the new Iyalode. Therefore, we have not breached any law or protocol at all.’’

  • Police arrest suspected yahoo boys with human parts

    The police anti-terrorist squad at Jeddo-Ughoton bridge in Okpe Local Government of Delta State has arrested three suspected Internet fraudsters, also called yahoo boys, with human parts.

    The incident reportedly occurred last week.

    Although efforts to get a police confirmation of the incident at the weekend were unsuccessful, a source told The Nation that there might be efforts to shield the information about the arrest from the public, for unknown reasons.

    It was gathered that the yahoo boys, who were suspected to be involved in ritual murders, were nabbed by the police team, which was on a stop-and- search operation around the area, an outskirts of Warri metropolis.

    According to sources, the suspects were waved down by the police team to search their vehicle. The team discovered coolers filled with drinks, including expensive foreign drinks.

    The sources said luck, however, ran out on the suspects when the police did a thorough search of the coolers and found human parts, mostly of female victims, hidden under the drinks and iced blocks.

    “The police team, after discovering the human parts, arrested the suspects and interrogated them,” the sources added.

    Efforts to confirm the report proved abortive, as those who should speak were not forthcoming.

    Police Commissioner Muhammad Mustafa did not answer calls. He also did not respond to an SMS.

    Spokesman Andrew Aniamaka said he was unable to confirm the incident.

    He said: “I’ve called the DPOs that should have something to say about whatever happened around the area you mentioned. They said they have not heard anything like that.”

    However, a senior police officer in Warri, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest as “a flying catch”, meaning an illegal and an undocumented occurrence between a suspect and law enforcement agents.

    He said: “What I’ve found out is that what really happened is what we refer to as ‘a flying catch’. It means that indeed those boys might have been stopped and searched by the team. The incriminating items were discovered, but it is still possible that at that instance, the suspects, being what they are and, as you would expect, having so much money, if they had offered the officers any amount and if they, I mean the officers, are unscrupulous, they will be settled and let the suspects go.

    “That is what we suspect because there is no record of any arrest like that. But it might have happened.”

  • NAPTIP arrests suspected human trafficker

    The Benin Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a suspected human trafficker, who escaped from Delta State.

    The Commander in the zone, which comprises Edo and Delta states, Mr. Nduka Nwanwenne,

    in a statement in Benin yesterday, said the arrest of the 29-year-old suspect followed a midnight operation by the command on November 10.

    He added that the suspect was eventually arrested at Uwheru in Ughelli North Local Government of Delta State.

    “An earlier attempt two weeks ago to arrest the suspect met a brick wall, as he escaped through the roof and jumped into a river,” the commander said.

    “The suspect was alleged to have trafficked a 14-year-old primary five pupil of Udu Primary School, Uwheru, to his sister in Mali.

    The sister handed over the victim to another woman who exploited her.

    “According to members of the victim’s family, before the journey from Nigeria, the victim was made to believe that she would work in a supermarket.

    “However, in Mali, she met other girls clad in pants and bra in a house, who were also being exploited.

    “The victim was equally to be given pants and bra and forced to meet with male customers,” the zonal commander said.

    He added: “Her objection earned her beating and denial of food until she succumbed after a few days.

    “However, her earnings were collected by the madam and upon pressure from the victim’s parents on the suspects, they were forced to release the victim back to her parents.”

    Nwanwenne said the command began investigations into the issue immediately a complaint was lodged by the victim’s family.

    He said investigation was on to arrest other accomplices.

  • Command nabs four suspected ‘one chance’ robbers

    The FCT Police Command has arrested four suspects for alleged involvement in ‘one chance’ robbery.

    The suspects, according to the police, specialised in robbing their victims of valuables and using weapons to injure them.

    The suspects are Onyebuchi Ifeanyikwu, male, 40, Anthony Sunday, male, 35, Usman Ali, male, 19 and Sani Bala, male, 19.

    Items recovered from them include four sharp knives, one nail, one wood containing a nail, one screw driver, female under-wears, one Infinix phone, some jewellery, one bag containing women clothes belonging to one of their victims and a golden colour Honda Accord car registered as FST 662 BG.

    Others are two daggers, one Samsung phone and one tricycle used for their robberies.

    Narrating how they were arrested, command spokesman Anjuguri Manzah said: “On November 10, about 0200hrs, following a discreet investigation, operatives of the Anti-One Chance Squad arrested Onyebuchi Ifeanyikwu, male, 40 years and Anthony Sunday, male, 35 years at their hideout in Tungan Maje.

    “The suspects robbed and injured a woman, who boarded their car as a passenger en-route Nyanya from Arab Road, Kubwa on November 9 about 0530hrs.

    “A few minutes into the journey, the suspects diverted and carried their victim to Zuba axis where she was robbed of her money, phone, two ATM cards and other valuables before she was abandoned. She was rescued and taken to a police hospital at Deidei Barracks where she was treated and discharged.”

    The police said they have intensified efforts to recover the stolen items.

    On the other suspects, Manzah said: “On November 2, about 0900hrs, following a complaint, police operatives from the Anti-One Chance Squad arrested Ali and Bala, who operate in a tricycle to rob people.

    “The suspects were arrested after one of their victims, who was robbed by the gang at Gwarimpa, complained to the police.”

    The police said the suspects would be arraigned after investigation.

  • Journalist petitions police over alleged attempted murder

    A broadcast journalist, Mr. Babatunde Bamigboye, has accused members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) of allegedly attempting to kill him.

    Bamigboye, also an investigative journalist, popularly called Omo Edema, alleged that he was beaten up by the members at a park, adding that they injured him.

    He said he had gone to the park to get their reaction to an allegation levelled against a driver.

    Bamigboye, in a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Ondo State Command and the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligent Department (SCIID), alleged that his attackers received instruction to kill him from a unionist.

    The petition, written by his counsel, A.Y. Aliyu of YUSMAIL Chambers, urged the police to investigate the matter and prosecute the suspects.

    It said: “We are solicitors to Mr. Babatunde Bamigboye, aka Omo Edema, a radio presenter and an investigative journalist. We shall hereinafter refer to him as ‘our client’, on whose instruction we write your competent office as stated hereunder:

    “That on November 8, Mrs. Oluwatayo Aanuoluwa approached our client and explained her ordeal with men of the NURTW, at a motor park, Road Block Village, Akure, Ondo State.

    “She told our client that on November 2, she boarded a vehicle from the park to Ilesha and she never knew how she got to Osogbo, the Osun State capital, mysteriously.

    “That our client advised Mrs. Aanuoluwapo to report the matter at the Special Anti-kidnapping Squad of the Nigeria Police, Akure and she complied.

    “Our client later decided to confirm the allegation at the NURTW unit. Our client went there with one of his colleagues. Our client explained the circumstance that warranted his coming to the park.

    “That after listening to our client, the unionists called other members to come and listen to our client’s story. These members denied the allegation, saying the woman never boarded a vehicle at their park.

    “Our client thereafter demanded the manifest. They were furious at our client’s demand. They, however, reluctantly released the manifest three hours later and Mrs. Aanuoluwapo’s name was not found in it.

    “At that juncture, our client left the park. While leaving, the unionists ordered members to beat him up.

    “Our client and his colleague were molested and humiliated by the members. In an attempt to lynch our client, they put tyres on his neck and his colleague’s.

    “That our client became unconscious and was taken to the Area Command, Akure. The area commander, who was furious at the conduct of the drivers, ordered that our client be taken to the State Specialist Hospital, Akure. The picture of the scenario wherein our client was humiliated is hereby attached. We also attach the hospital bill for your perusal.

    “We hope you will use the instrumentality of your office to investigate this complaint and take legal action against the culprit.”