The Nation Newspaper

Category: Crime Diary

  • ‘Why we tortured our victims with pepper, acid’

    Suspected robbers who tortured their victims with grinded pepper and acid have been smashed by the operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    The three suspects are: John Odeh, 46; Benjamin Odakpe, 43, and Ebelebe Ajiriogene, 32.

    Four other members of the seven-man gang including the kingpin, identified as Ebony escaped with guns, bottles of acid and pepper used during operations.

    According to IRT sources, one of the gang’s victims reported his ordeal to the squad.

    It was learnt that IRT’s commander, Abba Kyari, ordered the squad’s South West Coordinator, Philip Rinwanine, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to fish out the hoodlums.

    The arrest of a member of the gang identified as Ebelebe Ajiriogene led to the arrest of John and Benjamin.

    According to IRT sources, the victim, Abiodun Akinnibosun, a banker, on October 11, 2017 boarded a commercial us at Charly Boy area of Gbagada,  en route Obalende, but the driver diverted to Magodo road.

    On discovering other passengers to be members of the gang, Abiodun was held down by the hoodlums and asked to keep quiet.

    One of the robbers then threatened to spray Abiodun with pepper and acid, asking him to maintain perfect silence.

    The hoodlums robbed Abiodun of a Gionee android phone worth N100,000, ATM card and wrist watch valued N25,000.

    The robbers led Abiodun to an ATM machine on Ikosi-Ketu road , where he was forced to release his correct ATM access number, following which the robbers withdrew  a sum of N120,000 from his bank account, transferred a sum of N150,000 to a bank account, and drove to Berger area, where they pushed the victim out of their bus and zoomed off.

    Confessing, Ebelebe denied using gun, but admitted using acid and pepper to torture stubborn victims.

    He also denied pushing victims out of their operational bus saying: “If you push victim out when the bus is on motion, he will sustain injury. The victim (Abiodun) did not sustain injury.”

    The second suspect, John, said: “I was sent to prison on remand. My case is still in court. My lawyer perfected my bail that is why I was out of the prison. I came to Lagos because my case was coming up, but these bad friends put me in trouble. I was bathing in a public toilet when police came to arrest Benjamin and arrested me also.

    ‘’I am not the one that pushed victims out of moving bus. My gang is different from their gang. They mentioned me when police arrested them. I am an armed robber, but I did not follow them to rob this victim(Abiodun). I had followed them to rob only once and my role is to put pepper in the eyes of the victim to enable me search victims, without much resistance. We poured acid on the leg of stubborn victims not the face. We were very careful with acid.’’

    The third suspect, Benjamin said: ’’I am from Ogoja, Cross River State. My wife divorced me because her mother told her that my family is associated with polygamy.

    ‘’ I came to buy second hand clothes in Lagos and pickpockets stole my money. I started sleeping at Iyana Ipaja Motor Park. When police came there with one Emeka, he pointed at me that I was one of them. I am an armed robber but I did not follow them to rob this victim (Abiodun). I have robbed seven times. I have not been arrested nor charged to court. I am very lucky.

    ‘’I slept in Iyana Ipaja Motor Park, where some people stole my money, the loss of the money I used for business made me to join a robbery gang. We don’t use gun. That thing they mistook for a gun is an ordinary spanner tied with cloth to make it look like a gun.’’

  • Customs intercepts container load of military uniforms, other items — Spokesperson

    The Customs yesterday announced the seizure of a container load of military uniforms and other items on the  Aba- Port Harcourt road.

    Mr. Joseph Attah, the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said that examination of the container was conducted in the presence of the owner’s representative.

    He said: “The roving team of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C, have seized a container with registration  number MRSU 3040288 found to carry military uniforms and other items along Aba- Port Harcourt road.

    “The container was taken to Owerri where proper examination in the presence of the representative of the owner revealed the followings: 11 bales containing new sets of sewn military camouflage.

    “Each bale contains 400 pairs of sewn military camouflage, 15 cartons containing Altama combat boots, each carton containing 20 pairs, and some sacks of garments.”

  • Oyo goes tough on human traffickers

    Oyo State Government has vowed to bring to book any culprit found culpable human trafficking in the state.

    This came to the fore during a meeting between the state government officials and stakeholders in the Travels and Tours industry at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism in Ibadan during the week.

    The state government condemned the spate of trafficking especially women and girl-child, calling on parents, guardians, residents and its citizens to prioritize their values and desist from employing the services of visa fraudsters and traffickers in order to seek greener pastures.

    The state’s Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun decried the increase in human trafficking and the attendant unholy acts of slavery and prostitution, assuring that the government will not negate its responsibility of protecting the citizens of the state.

    He appealed to the governing body of National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to collaborate with the state government in apprehending travel agencies and individuals who engage in human trafficking.

    Arulogun said: “These traffickers dangle juicy carrots of greener pastures at their would be victims but the victims end up coming back with harrowing experiences.  We owe it to the people to protect them from unpleasant experiences and this is why we are calling on all stakeholders to see to the end of this unholy act. We urge the media to verify the success stories of these so called travel tours before airing their commercials to save a lot of innocent souls,” Arulogun explained.

    Speaking, the National Vice President, NANTA, Mr. Dagunduro Olatokunbo called for urgent action in sensitizing the populace about the dangers involved in such journeys to the diaspora.

  • We were once ‘one chance’ robbery victims -Suspects

    Two suspected robbers, Paul Giddy, 27, and Odudu John, 28, have said that they were victims of ‘one chance’ robbery gang before they decided to join the gang.

    ‘One chance’ in local parlanced are robbers, who operate in commercial vehicles to dispossess their passengers of valuables, before throwing them out of the vehicle.

    Paul, in his confession, said: “ I am married with one child. I am from Ukwali, Delta state. I do furniture work. We were five in number when we went for this operation that put us in our present trouble. The names of other members of our gang at large are Adam, Matthew and Shakira.

    ‘’See, each of us play different roles during operations. The driver is in charge of the operational vehicle and our escape after each operation is in his hands.

    ‘’Another member is in charge of torture of stubborn victims; another member is in charge of security, while the conductor’s job is to look out for the victims. One person is in charge of getting victims money and  movable valuables like phones, wrist watches, bangles, laptops, shoes, ATM cards as well as asking victims for their card’s pin numbers.

    In his own confession, Odudu said:” We were victims before we joined the ‘one chance’ armed robbery gang. We were desperate to make quick money to revive our dwindling business.

    ‘’We met at a smoking joint at Oshodi. While we were discussing our plight, they (other members of the gang) found out that I was a good driver so they made me their driver. It was Adam that brought our operational guns but we only used the guns to intimidate our victims.

    ‘’Shekira is a carpenter and he was the one that brought the hammer, and other carpentry tools we used as weapons. I have not made up to N50,000 before we were arrested. We started two months ago. The only experience I gained while in police cell is knowledge of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to be born again and to repent. I was told that Christ had forgiven me of all my sins. Please tell police to forgive me.’’

  • ‘I would still have killed her if she was my wife, mother or girlfriend’

    A murder suspect, Babatunde Muritala aka Muri Ete, has said that he would still have killed one of his victims, Julian Eke Imaga,18, even if she was his wife, mother or sister.

    Muritala was arrested by the operatives of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team for the gruesome killing of one Oriade Adebisi and his girlfriend Julian Eke Imaga, 18.

    Confessing at the IRT Eagles Building, Lagos Annex, GRA, Ikeja, Babatunde, who is a cultist, said: ‘’ On the part of his girlfriend, Julian, she did not offend me in any way. She was very innocent and friendly. She was very social and accommodating to friends of her boyfriend. The only reason why I killed her (Julian) was to cover up the murder, so that it would not be possible to link me and others to the murder. I regret killing her, but I had no better choice at that circumstance. If she were to be my mother, sister, wife or girlfriend, I would still have done the same thing, because I knew that if there was any leakage the police would come after us and they will get us.’’

    The suspect also said he killed Adebisi because he had refused to share proceeds of his yahoo (Internet scam) ‘business’ with him.

    ‘’’Another issue I had with him (Adebisi) is that he stopped giving me the little change (money) he used to give me. Instead, he started giving it to my rival cult members. He is a yahoo boy (Internet fraudster). He used to help me financially, but all of a sudden, he stopped. He no longer recognized me as the leader in my territory, my base, my area.’’

    Asked why he killed his victims with  plank despite being in possession of a gun, he said: “Our fraternity does not use gun to kill. It is more difficult to track plank during forensic investigation. We feel at home with plank because it would not be easy for police to track us down using plank as a specimen.

    ‘’Again, gun brings out (loud) sound when fired which can alert neighbours or police to the scene, but plank does not make such sound when you use it to kill.’’

    On why they dumped the corpse in an uncompleted building without burying them in graves, he said: “We were working on time. There was no time to dig any grave. Moreover, if exposed in the open the corpses would decompose faster and animals would help to eat up the flesh.’’

    Babatunde, a native of Oru in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, said he dropped out in 200 level at Tai Solarin University, where he was studying Business Administration.

    ‘’My father has five children; two children from my mother and three children from another woman. My father did not take care of any of us. He is a commercial  driver. He is always giving excuses that he has no money to train us. I later went to train as computer engineer.’’

    He claimed that one Sunkanmi, who now lives in Israel, deceitfully initiated him into a cultist group.

    ‘’Adebisi was a member of Alora cult. Their cult members wear yellow. In March this year, he gave me a bank account number for my yahoo link. We got 1,200 dollars and shared the money; we got another 6,000 dollars which took 24 hours to reflect in (his) bank account.

    ‘’Our quarrel started on May 28, 2018. I told my girlfriend called Yetunde to watch when Adebisi would drive out (of his residence). When she told me about Adebisi’s movement, I called my friends Sodiq and Taiwo and we kidnapped him and took him to a bush and killed him. I did not rape his girlfriend before we killed her.’’

    The second suspect, Taiwo Rasak, 18, said: “I am from Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos. I was initiated into Aiye fraternity in 2015 and I went to stay with Babatunde.

    ‘’Babatunde told us (myself and Sodiq now at large) that he wanted to kill Oriade Adebisi for parting with his money. Before we killed him (Adebisi), Babatunde ordered him to deactivate his password on his iPhone and he complied.’’

    IRT’s South West Coordinator, Philip Rieninwa, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) said the police received a report from one Oriade Rafiu of  Queen Oriade Crescent, Oju-Ore, Otta, Ogun State on May 28, 2018, at about 11pm, that Oriade Adebisi was driving in his Honda Cross tour car with registration number FST 350 FA together with his girlfriend, Julian Eke Imaga, 18, at Oru-Ijebu, when they were abducted by three armed men and killed.

    He said that IRT’s operatives arrested the two principal suspects, Babatunde Muritala and Taiwo Rasak.

    An iPhone with Etisalat sim card and two pairs of canvas shoes belonging to late Adebisi were recovered from Babatunde.

     

  • Oyo goes tough on human traffickers

    Oyo State Government has vowed to bring to book any culprit found culpable human trafficking in the state.

    This came to the fore during a meeting between the state government officials and stakeholders in the Travels and Tours industry at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism in Ibadan during the week.

    The state government condemned the spate of trafficking especially women and girl-child, calling on parents, guardians, residents and its citizens to prioritize their values and desist from employing the services of visa fraudsters and traffickers in order to seek greener pastures.

    The state’s Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun decried the increase in human trafficking and the attendant unholy acts of slavery and prostitution, assuring that the government will not negate its responsibility of protecting the citizens of the state.

    He appealed to the governing body of National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to collaborate with the state government in apprehending travel agencies and individuals who engage in human trafficking.

    Arulogun said: “These traffickers dangle juicy carrots of greener pastures at their would be victims but the victims end up coming back with harrowing experiences.  We owe it to the people to protect them from unpleasant experiences and this is why we are calling on all stakeholders to see to the end of this unholy act. We urge the media to verify the success stories of these so called travel tours before airing their commercials to save a lot of innocent souls,” Arulogun explained.

    Speaking, the National Vice President, NANTA, Mr. Dagunduro Olatokunbo called for urgent action in sensitizing the populace about the dangers involved in such journeys to the diaspora.

  • Two dead, one injured as train averts collision with bus in Lagos

    At least two hangers-on have been confirmed dead and one other injured after a train averted a collusion with an abandoned commercial bus.

    The incident occurred Friday morning at Pen Cinema, Agege, Lagos.

    It was gathered that the three victims were sitting atop the train when it veered upon sighting the bus from afar.

    Witnesses said one of the victims fell on the rail line and was shredded by the moving train, while the other two injured lost some body parts and were taken to a hospital, where one of them later died.

    The train was said to have continued its journey, oblivious of the casualties.

    Irked by the incident, hoodlums, it was gathered, set the bus ablaze as onlookers rushed the injured to nearby Orile-Agege General Hospital.

    Confirming the incident, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Adesina Tiamiyu, who was at the scene, said the wreckage of the bus had been removed.

    He said: “It is true there was an accident there, but untrue that many people died. The bus was empty and packed on the side.

    “The three victims were hanging on top of the train. One of them died, while the other two sustained injuries. They were taken to a nearby hospital but we are going there now to see them, assess their condition and relocate them if necessary.

    “We have appealed to residents so many times to stop hanging on moving objects. Sitting on top of a moving train is dangerous. It is deadly. People should value their lives.”

  • Police arrest suspected kidnappers who sold victims’ cars after collecting ransom

    Suspected kidnappers who specialised in selling their victims’ cars after collecting ransom have been arrested by the operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    The suspects, according to police sources had warned their victims not to inform the police.

    Police sources said the gang’s notorious operations in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Kogi states caught the attention of the Inspector General of Police(IGP) Ibrahim Idris  in April, 2018.

    IGP Idris was said to have on April 4, 2018 directed IRT’s Commander Abba Kyari to apprehend members of the notorious gang.

    Subsequently, one of the leaders of the gang, Akinjide Ibitoye Orilakun, 35, was arrested along Ilara, a town in Ogun state, which shares boundary with the Benin Republic.

    Orilakun was said to have mentioned one Olayide Atoyibe Dada, 36, as one of the regular receivers of their loot.

    Other top members of the gang arrested between April 18 and June 10 are: Olanrewaju Joseph,33, aka Mechine, who was arrested in Ipetumodu area of Osun State; Osai Amechi Nelson, who was arrested in the Toll Gate area of Ibadan, Oyo State and Olatunbosun Fisayo aka Alagbada, who was also arrested in Osun State.

    Confessing, Olanrewaju, a Higher National Diploma (HND) holder and father of one said: “ I studied Banking and Finance at Osun State Polytechnic, and graduated in 2012. I am a member of Eye confraternity and I joined in 2009 when I was in the school but I didn’t fight anyone until I graduated.’’

    The suspect said he ventured into plumbing work in Rivers State, after he could not secure a job upon his graduation from school.

    ‘’In 2013, my plumbing shop got burnt in Port Harcourt, and I came back to Osun State in 2013. On December 27, 2013, I attended my old student association party and I met one of my old friends known as Olaniyi Olakunle. He asked what I was doing for a living and I told him that I had no job and that my shop in Port Harcourt had got burnt. He then said that he would want me to join him in his car smuggling business in Cotonou in Benin Republic.

    ‘’On the first day of my visit to his compound, I saw many vehicles and he asked us to take one of the cars to Eket in Akwa Ibom State. When we returned he gave me a sum of N50,000, which he said was my driving fee. In January 2014, he called me and said he had seven phones for me to sell, I sold six of the phones and I kept one for myself. When I gave him the money, he told me that we were going to Eket but on our way, he stopped at Oshogbo and he told me that he wanted to pick someone, but before I knew what was happening he snatched a car at gun point and we took the car to Eket that night.

    ‘’The next day, I told him that I wasn’t comfortable with what he did, but he told me that I must live with it because I am now part of the gang. He gave me N120,000 when we returned to Osun, unfortunately,  the police tracked me with the phone I collected from him and I was taken to  Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Akure, Ondo State, where IRT operatives asked me how I got the phone and I told them that my friend gave me the phone to sell.I later took detectives to Ilesa to arrest him, but when we got to his house, Olakunle jumped from his house and escaped but his wife was arrested.

  • Lagos gives 250 First Aid boxes to RRS

    Lagos State Government yesterday presented 250 first aid boxes to Rapid Response Squad (RRS) unit of the Lagos State Police Command in Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode promised to continue to support emergency responders in the state for optimum delivery of services to the people.

    Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Chief of Staff’s Office, Mr. Oluseyi Whenu, Ambode expressed government’s satisfaction with the response time of its responders, adding that his administration would ensure their services are better enhanced comparable to expected standard in the advanced world.

    Apart from the security of lives and property, which the government is intensifying efforts on, Lagos, he said, was also trying to guarantee health security, especially on the road and during emergencies.

    He said: “Government realised that apart from protection of lives and property on our roads, emergencies happen and the lives of people need to be protected, hence the training of 800 RRS officers on administering First Aid like, stopping bleeding, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, managing fracture and other forms of emergencies before the arrival of medical team.

    “The presentation of 250 First Aid boxes to RRS was to complement the earlier donation of 150 First Aid kits to the team. 400 kits have so far been given to the RRS for their patrol vehicles and motorbikes.”

    According to him, the primary role of the RRS was for the protection of lives and property.

    The State Government, he said, has realised that RRS gets to emergency scenes faster than most responders hence, the need for them to stabilise the victims before the arrival of medical personnel.

    “This is why we are equipping them with First Aid training and complementing it with the supply of First Aid kits to make them save lives. Plans are on to extend the same gesture to other State emergency responders,” he said.

    Receiving the kits on behalf of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, RRS the Commander, Olatunji Disu , an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) thanked the governor for the gesture.

  • Victim of assault accuses policeman of shielding suspect from prosecution

    A victim of an alleged assault, Ahmed Owoniyi has accused a policeman, Ayo Bamidele of shielding his attacker from prosecution.

    Owoniyi, a businessman and freight forwarder was allegedly attacked and injured by one Mudashiru Gbenle on two occasions at Idumota, Lagos Island, during which he lost two handsets.

    According to him, the incidents were reported to Ebute Ero Division, Lagos Island, leading to the arrest of the suspect, but the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case, Ayo Bamidele allegedly demanded money before he can file the matter in court.

    He said his failure to provide the money has led the police to abandon the case while his assailant is walking free in the society.

    Recalling the incidents in his petition to the Zone 2 Police headquarters Lagos, on July 4,2018, Owoniyi said:’’ I reported a case of assault, occasional harm and stealing against a group of boys that attacked me at Idumota, Lagos Island, to Ebute Ero Police Station on 26th of May 2018. The attack was masterminded and led by one Mudashiru Gbele. During the attack, my handsets, Techno N9 Plus and Samsun L6 Plus were taken from me. My statement was taken and the name of the IPO is Ayo.

    He said the suspect was emboldened to subject him to another attack , after the police failed to arraign him in court.

    ‘’On the 5th day of June 2018, at about 10.30 pm, again, the same attack took place at the same place which was led by the same person, Mudashiru Gbenle. I was injured, and my Nokia phone was forcibly taken from me.

    ‘’While this was going on, my wife held on to Mudashiru Gbenle before the arrival of the police and he was subsequently taken to Ebute Ero Police Station. Mudashiru Gbenle was arrested and my Nokia phone recovered from him. Another statement was taken from me on June 6, 2018, while my photograph showing my injury ( during the attack) is also with the police.

    He added: ‘’To my surprise, on the 7th of June, 2018, at the Ebute Ero Police Station, the IPO named Ayo Bamidele requested from me the sum of N20,000, being the amount needed to take the matter to court.

    ‘’ Due to my inability to pay the money, up till now, nothing is being done about the matter simply because I have not paid the amount demanded. On June 9, 2018, the IPO, Ayo Bamidele saw my wife and informed her that I should do what he told me to do quickly before it is too late.’’

    Responding, Bamidele denied demanding bribe from Owoniyi. He said Owoniyi abandoned his case after he advised him to prosecute the suspect.

    ‘’I know Owoniyi very well but I am not the IPO handling the matter. He had complained to me that the suspect assaulted him and I urged him to make a formal report at our station, which he did. The suspect was arrested and interrogated during which he claimed Owoniyi collected money from him to do visa, but failed to do the job.

    ‘’Gbenle’s statements were inconsistent when we took him to the  Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), and the DCO rebuked him for not being sincere in his response. It was against this backdrop that I advised Owoniyi to come to the station for his consent to take the matter to court.

    ‘’Since then, he has refused to come to our station until the suspect connived with a self-acclaimed doctor and wrote a petition against me at Lion Building Area Command. I was falsely accused of detaining the suspect for three days, which is not true. I have since gone to Lion Building to clear my name, while the matter has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos. I did not demand any bribe from him, instead he is the one owing me a sum of N100,000 being money I paid him to help me secure visa to Europe, which he has not done to date and has refused to refund the money.’’

    In a telephone conversation with The Nation, Gbenle, who did not deny carrying out the assault said Owoniyi had defrauded him of unspecified amount under the pretext of procuring visas to Italy and China.

    Gbenle, however refused to specify the amount involved before cutting the conversation saying: ‘’Please, I cannot talk more on this matter because I am currently shopping in a market.’’

    Contacted, the spokesman of Lagos Police Command, Ms. Dolapo Badmus did not pick her call, while she did not also respond to a text message sent to her mobile phone number.