The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bala Elkana

  • Police bust ‘child-sale’ syndicate in Lagos

    A SYNDICATE with alleged expertise in selling children has been uncovered by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command, spokesman Bala Elkana said on Sunday.

    He said a traffic policewoman attached to Ejigbo Division on August 26 while controlling traffic at Jakande Gate, Ejigbo, noticed commotion near her post and intervened.

    According to him, the officer discovered that the altarcation was about a lady named Gift Michael, 24, found with a suspected new born baby. In her company is her ‘madam’, one Florence Nkem Douglas, 50, both of Ijegun area of Isheri.

    Elkana said the crowd was about to mob the duo after trailing them and reasonably suspecting them of buying and selling children for long at their maternity clinic but were rescued and taken to the Ejigbo Police station for investigation.

    Read Also: Police uncover fake hospital in Edo

    Elkana said detectives discovered pictures of over 50 babies in the madams’ phone suspected to have been sold off already, adding that the gang usually sold children between N500,000 to N1 million.

    “Investigation revealed that the said Florence Douglas, a native of Igueben in Edo State, who is not a registered  nurse operates two Maternity Clinics named Flofidel Clinic and Maternity  Homes with branches in  Shosanya Street, I82, Ijegun Road and Okunola Ijagemo area.

    “On interrogation, the said Florence admitted to have been in the business of sales of babies for a while. She revealed that a baby girl is referred to as “PINK” while a baby boy is called “BLUE” and are both referred to as “MARKET”.

    “She further confessed that the male child found in their custody at Jakande Gate Ejigbo, suspected to be a week old was brought to her from Gombe, enroute Akure and was to be sold for N500,000.

    “The rescued baby who appeared sick with symptoms suspected to be jaundice was promptly taken to hospital for medical attention. Worthy of mention are  pictures of about 50 different babies in the phone of the suspect, suspected to have already been sold off.

    “Babies are usually sold between N500,000 and N1million depending on their sex.

     

     

     

  • Police arrest four for murder

    The police in Lagos have on Wednesday arrested four cops for extrajudicial killing of two suspected robbers in their custody.

    The policemen identified as Inspector Fabiyi Omomayara, Sergeant Olaniyi Solomon, Sergeant Solomon Sunday and Corporal Aliyu Mukaila the command said, would be charged with murder because they breached the code of professional conduct and use of fire arms.

    The killer cops were seen in a video that surfaced on the social media shooting the suspects alleged to belong to a notorious armed robbery gang terrorizing Iba.

    It was gathered that the cops had responded to a distress call around 3pm on August 19, from one Valentine Anugu who was robbed of his mobile phone worth N450,000 by four armed robbers on two motorcycles.

    While two of the suspected armed robbers fled, the others were held, disarmed of the two locally pistol, six live and five expended cartridges they had before shooting them inside the commercial bus they (police) used for the operation.

    Condemning the action of the policemen, spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said they went to the extreme and violated the rules on the treatment of suspects in custody.

    Although the gang was said to be notorious in the area, the police team took their celebration of the arrest to the extreme by killing the suspects, Elkana said.

    Read Also: Police nab three students for alleged rape

    “The team went extreme by killing the suspects who were already in their custody instead of taking them to the Police Station and allowing the normal process of investigation and prosecution to be initiated as stipulated under procedural laws.

    “That act of extrajudicial killing falls short of police professional standards and cannot be condoned by the command.

    The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Zubairu Muazu has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.

    “The police officers are currently subjected to internal disciplinary proceedings known as Orderly Room trial and if found culpable, they will be dismissed from the Force and handed over to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Yaba for prosecution in the conventional court.

    “The public will be updated on the outcome of the investigation and trial,” said Elkana in a statement released on Wednesday.

     

  • Police arrest 32 suspected cultists, recover arms in Lagos

    The Police Command in Lagos State have arrested 32 suspected cultists and recovered firearms in the last one week.

    Spokesman for the command, DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday.

    He said that a 32-year-old man (name withheld), a member of Aiye Confraternity, was arrested on Saturday.

    Elkana said the suspect, arrested by the Cultism Squad, while on patrol at Mosafejo Amukoko Street, Ajegunle, was found in possession of one locally made pistol.

    He stressed that the suspect confessed his gang was responsible for series of violent crimes in Ajengule.

    “Investigation is ongoing and efforts are in place to apprehend other members of his gang. The suspect will be charged to court,” he said.

    Elkana said, on the same day operatives of the Operation Crush from 8 Division in Area H Command, Ogudu raided a cultists’ hideout at Bariga.

    Read Also: Police chief assures Chinese of adequate security

    The raid, he said, paid off as a 39-year-old suspected cult leader, a resident of Kajora Street, Bariga, was arrested with 22 members of his gang.

    “They all confessed to be members of a deadly gang and a cult group responsible for various killings and violent crimes in Bariga.

    “Investigation is ongoing, and suspects will be charged to court,” he said.

    He noted that a follow-up operation, carried out by officers of the Bariga Police Station on Wednesday, at Oyenaya Street, Bariga, led to the arrest of 20-year-old suspect and five other members of his gang.

    Elkana said two other suspected cultists were arrested on July 24 at Itabale Igbolomu area of Owutu, Ikorodu, while engaging each other in a battle for supremacy.

    He said one locally made pistol was recovered from them, stressing that all the suspects would be charged to court soon.

    NAN

  • Two held for allegedly kidnapping teenager

    The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a man and his son for allegedly kidnapping a teenager, Mathew Chukwuebuka.

    The suspects, Alhaji Muhibudeen Akorede and Thoa Akorede, were said to have held their 19-year-old victim, who was rescued from their custody, hostage for nine days without food.

    A statement on Wednesday by police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the suspects were arrested in Ibadan, Oyo State, by operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), who trailed them there with support from the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU).

    He said the command on July 4 received a directive to follow up a petition sent to the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

    Elkana said the suspects had demanded N30million ransom, which they told the victim’s family to pay into his (the victim’s) account so they could withdraw same since the boy was with them.

    He said the teenager told the police that he did not know how he got to Ibadan, adding that it all happened after he received a call on his phone.

    Read Also: Gunmen kidnap chief of staff’s sister-in-law

    “The boy said on arrival in Ibadan, he was given something from a black pot to eat and he lost his senses. He said they ordered him to surrender his phone to them and the phone was programmed to reject incoming calls, except the only line they were demanding ransom through.

    “That they collected the money in his possession and demanded more. He said he was taken to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) point where they withdrew N10,000 from his account.

    “They demanded N30million to be paid into the victim’s bank’s account as ransom. The victim has since been reunited with his family,” Elkana said.

    Asked where the suspects were, Elkana said they had been charged to court and were remanded in prison custody.

     

  • Police: men mobbed in Lagos in mistaken identity

    The Lagos State Police Command has warned the residents against jungle justice.

    This followed a mob attack on two suspected to be ritualists at Lawanson, Mushin, last Thursday around 1 p.m.

    In a video that went viral on the social media, the mob accused a man, Joseph Agugom, of trying to use his wife, Justina Emmanuel of 10 Bishop Okogie Street, Ago, Palace Way in Isolo, Lagos, and her one and a half-year-old daughter, Munachisom, for rituals.

    They were allegedly acting on the alarm raised by Justina, who is said to be mentally-ill, that her husband wanted to use her and her daughter for ritual.

    Justina was said to have told the crowd that her husband had used their two other children for rituals.

    The mob descended on Joseph and Paul Agugom, inflicting injuries on their bodies.

    The two men were rescued by the Anti-Crime patrol team led, by the Itire Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Odey Ogah, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

    The police recovered a Honda CRV with registration number (Lagos) FST587BU, one LG handset, one iPhone, one bag containing two flasks, three pieces of rope, one black para-military belt and a green beret.

    Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said preliminary investigation revealed that the woman is suffering from mental illness and that she was being taken to the hospital when she raised the alarm and some peopleblic stopped the car and descended on the men.

    Elkana said: “Members of the suspects’ and victims’ families came to the police station and made statements to the effect that the victim is suffering from mental illness and was actually being transported to a hospital.

    “The other two children of the victim with her husband were brought to the station, contrary to the allegations of the victim that they were killed by the husband for money ritual. The victim (woman) was taken to the hospital by the police for medical examination.”

    Read Also: Police arrest two over alleged murder in Enugu

    The spokesman said command had launched a manhunt for those who mobbed the two men to bring them to justice.

    “Members of the public are strongly advised to be more careful not to jump into conclusion on the alarm raised by anybody. Innocent persons have suffered death or bodily harm and inhuman treatment through jungle justice.

    “Members of the public have the powers to arrest anybody suspected to have committed a crime but the law provides that such persons arrested should be handed over to the police immediately.

    “It is only investigating police officers that can determine the truthfulness or otherwise of the allegations. And our laws presume the accused person to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.

     

  • Lagos Police records 45 missing persons in five months

    Forty-Five cases of missing persons have been reported across police stations and divisions in Lagos since January, the command said on Tuesday.

    Spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), stated this while responding to questions by The Nation on the spate of missing persons.

    According to Elkana, the police had been on top of their game by ensuring that crimes did not go undetected and culprits unpunished.

    He said of the 45 missing persons, 40 were found and reunited with their families, while five were recovered dead.

    Among the five, Elkana, said were two Bureau De Change (BDC) operators initially reported as missing persons but which turned out to be an abduction and murder cases.

    The bodies of the victims were later discovered inside a septic tank at Odogunyan, Ikorodu, alongside those of two others earlier killed by their abductors.

    Elkana said: “We have recorded 45 cases of missing persons this year, including the young woman, Adewura Belo, 26, who was declared missing on May 15.

    Read Also: New Lagos Police Commissioner assumes duty

    “Forty of the victims were found alive and reunited with their families. Two of them turned out to be abduction cases and the victims were killed by their kidnappers after paying ransom. The other two missing persons were found inside septic tank where those BDC operators were discovered.

    “Four suspects who were responsible for that were arrested and have been charged to court. The Commissioner of Police (CP), Zubairu Muazu, is committed to the safety and security of residents.”

    He restated that 159 suspects have been arrested for armed robbery, kidnapping and cultism in the last four months, adding that 43 arms and 84 ammunition were recovered.

    “Our prompt response to distress calls helped in foiling 80 armed robbery attempts. Fourteen cases of suicide and attempted suicide were recorded,” the spokesman said.

  • One killed, two arrested in police duel with robbers

    A suspected traffic robber was at the weekend killed and two others arrested during gun battles with the police, the State Command said on Sunday.

    While the name of the dead suspect was not mentioned, a statement by spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) identified the others as Adigun Ganiyu, 26, and Justice Igboanusi, 29.

    Elkana said Ganiyu was arrested on Friday at Cassidy Bus Stop around 10:20pm by policemen attached to Okokomaiko Division during an operation with his alleged gang members.

    He said the gang had engaged the police team in gun duel and in the process; the unnamed suspect was fatally wounded (killed).

    “One of the hoodlums was fatally injured and one Adigun Ganiyu, 26, was arrested, while other gang members escaped. One Double barrel gun with a live and two expanded cartridges, as well as a motorcycle used by the hoodlums were recovered.

    Read Also: One chance robbers ‘attack’ woman

    “The suspect confessed that their gang is responsible for series of traffic robbery along Okokomaiko and he is helping investigators with useful information about his fleeing colleagues,” said Elkana.

    Igboanusi, a resident of 11, Jinadu Street, Ajangbadi, the police said, was arrested on Saturday night around Church Bus Stop, Ilemba Hausa in a similar circumstance.

    He said a patrol team intercepted a gang of robbery suspects operating with a motorcycle around 8:30pm who were shooting sporadically.

    “One Justice Igboanusi, 29, was arrested and a short double barrel gun with one live cartridge was recovered from him while other gang members escaped.  Investigation is ongoing. Suspects will be charged to court,” he said.

     

  • Cultism: Police arrest 33 suspects in Lagos

    The Police in Lagos have arrested 33 persons allegedly involved to the clash on Wednesday between two rival cult groups at Fadeyi-Onipanu area where two persons were killed.

    Spokesman of the command, DSP Bala Elkana, made this known in a statement on Thursday, and said that two locally-made short guns with 10 live cartridges and other dangerous weapons, including cutlasses and knives, were recovered.

    According to Elkana, at about 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Onipanu Police Station received a distress call that members of rival cult groups from Alakara, Mushin, Onipanu and Shomolu were armed with dangerous weapons.

    Read Also: Police bust suspected child theft syndicate

    He said the suspected cultists engaged themselves in a fierce supremacy fight at Fadeyi, Onipanu, along Ikorodu road.

    “During the scuffle, one Tobi Kuti suspected to be one of the hoodlums and one Samuel Geofrey of DTD Services, Apapa, who was caught in the web were killed by the hoodlums.

    “Patrol teams and operatives of Tactical Units were promptly deployed to the scene. The teams swiftly contained the situation and restored normalcy to the area.

    “The command has deployed more resources to the affected areas for manhunt of other fleeing members of the gangs. Investigation is ongoing,” he said.

    The spokesman said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Zubairu Muazu, had called on parents to monitor the activities of their children, especially those who engaged in cult activities and gang groupings.

    He said that the command was duty-bound to deal decisively with criminal elements in line with the law and protect the lives of people of Lagos state.

    NAN

  • Police apprehend two suspected killers of LUTH resident doctor

    The Police in Lagos state say they have arrested two suspected killers of a University of Lagos (UNILAG) graduate, Dr Stephen Urueye, who was a resident doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), for the Police Command in the state, DSP Bala Elkana, who made the disclosure on Friday in Lagos, said the suspects allegedly stabbed the deceased on his right thigh and at the back with a knife while trying to dispossess him of his valuables.

    Read Also: Police arraign 57 suspected homosexuals

    He said: “On April 4, 2019 at about 9.45p.m, Itire Police Station received a distress call that some hoodlums, armed with knives, attacked one Dr Stephen Urueye, a resident doctor with LUTH and dispossessed him of his valuables such as handsets.

    “The incident happened around the  Canal Area of Ishaga Road, Idi Araba while the victim was going somewhere with his female friend, Simbiat Opeyemi, a 200 level student of the Department of Health Education, Lagos State University,(LASU).

    “The victim was rushed to LUTH, Idi Araba where he eventually died in the early hours of April 5.

    “Two suspects were arrested in connection with the case the  Commissioner of Police in the state,  Zubairu Muazu, directed a Deputy Commissioner of Police to take over the investigation,” the PPRO said.

    NAN

  • Group slams police for killing Kolade Johnson

    A human rights organization, Crime Victims Foundation of Nigeria (CRIVIFON) has condemned the killing of a football fan, Kolade Johnson by two officers of the anti- cultism unit of the Lagos Police Command.

    The foundation, in a statement issued in Lagos Thursday also condemned what it described as “careless use of rifles” by the two policemen involved.

    The spokesman of the Lagos Police Command, Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), had in a statement on Tuesday named the suspected officers as Inspector Ogunyemi Olalekan and Sergeant Godwin Orji.

    In the statement issued by its  Executive Director, Mrs. Gloria Egbuji, the group said it was pained that the two policemen involved in the killing were once beneficiaries of the police human rights training facilitated by the foundation.

    It regretted that they threw away every knowledge they have acquired during the training programme.

    Read Also: Police reveal cop-killers of Kolade Johnson

    “No Nigerian or even a foreigner in our midst should be deprived of his or her life in such an uncivilized manner as displayed by the Anti-Cultism Team involved in the dastardly act,” it said.

    The foundation also expressed dismay over the attitude of some policemen at a time the federal government is seriously giving attention to the restructuring of the Police Force for efficient performance and especially with respect to the issue of human rights violation.

    According to Egbuji: “As facilitators of the police human rights training which began in 2006 at the Lagos Police Command, CRIVIFON would want every police man who undergoes the training to bring the knowledge acquired to bear on his job.

    “They should not see the training merely as an opportunity to acquire certificate but knowledge needed to improve their service delivery.

    “They should also see the training as opportunity to reform their character traits with respect to how they used to perceive people’s fundamental human rights before undergoing the human rights training.”

    She however remarked that the foundation is encouraged by the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari and the police management in their reactions to the unwarranted killing of Kolade Johnson have emphasized the administration’s on-going effort to over haul the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other such units particularly through regular training of personnel to avoid the continuous violation of people’s constitutional and fundamental rights.

    She also acknowledged the swift action taken by the Lagos CP, Muazu Zubairo to immediately unravel what happened and the assurance to deal with the situation in accordance with the law by prosecuting the suspects

    “As partners in the human rights training, CRIVIFON commended President Buhari for showing interest in reforming the police and also, appreciated authorities of the Nigeria Police Force for creating the enabling environment for such training of their officers and men to take place particularly with the renewed vigor of the present Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu to ensure that officers and men of SARS and other units are regularly trained,” she added.