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Tag: Bala Elkana

  • Police detain team ‘behind soccer fan’s death’

    Policemen attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit, fingered in the killing of a soccer fan, Kolade Johnson, in Ikeja on Sunday night, have been detained, spokesman Bala Elkana said yesterday.

    He disclosed this in a statement, saying the team members would undergo internal disciplinary procedures and would be prosecuted if found culpable.

    It was gathered that the team had stormed Olu Aboderin Street, Onipetesi, to arrest a man with dreadlocks on suspicion that he was a cultist.

    After allegedly arresting their target, the policemen allegedly shot sporadically and a stray bullet hit Johnson, said to be an only child, who was watching Liverpool Football Club versus Tottenham Hotspur match.

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    An eyewitness said Johnson, who recently became a father, died before he was taken to the General Hospital, Ikeja. This caused a protest, which spread to Mangoro Cement and Dopemu areas of the state.

    Elkana said Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu had appealed for calm, adding that the police identified the suspect team based on an eyewitness’ account.

  • Police detain team behind soccer fan’s death

    Policemen attached to the Anti-Cultism unit fingered in the killing of a soccer fan Kolade Johnson at Ikeja on Sunday night have been detained, spokesman Bala Elkana confirmed on Monday.

    Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), disclosed this in a statement where he informed that the team members would undergo internal disciplinary procedures and then prosecuted if found culpable.

    It was gathered the team had stormed Olu Aboderin Street in Onipetesi to arrest a man with dreadlocks on suspicion he was a cultist.

    After allegedly picking up their target, the policemen allegedly started shooting sporadically, leading to stray bullet hitting Johnson, said to be an only child who was watching Liverpool Football Club match.

    An eyewitness had disclosed that Johnson, who recently became a father, died before they arrived Ikeja General Hospital, which sparked protest that stretched to Mangoro Cement and Dopemu areas of the state.

    Johnson’s death was the second in three days involving policemen as another team had shot a motorcyclist dead at Kilo Bus Stop, Surulere on Thursday for alleged refusal to pay N200 bribe.

    Read Also: Cash and carry soccer

    Elkana said Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu had appealed for calm, adding that the police were able to identify the suspect team based on an eyewitness’ account.

    He said: “On March 31, at about 5.05 pm, the command received a distress call that Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway has been blocked by some angry youths who were protesting the shooting of one Kolade Johnson of 1, Beco Street, Onipetesi, Mangoro Bus Stop by a team of policemen from Anti Cultism unit.

    “A team of policemen from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and Metro patrol were promptly drafted to the scene. The account of eyewitnesses helped in identifying the team which fled the scene immediately after the incident.

    “Members of the team suspected to be involved in the shooting have since been arrested and are currently in police custody undergoing interrogation.

    “They will be subjected to internal disciplinary procedures and may be prosecuted in conventional court if implicated by ongoing investigation.

    “The Commissioner of Police has promised to initiate far reaching reforms to help in repositioning the Anti-Cultism Squad for effective service delivery, particularly in areas of respect for human rights and proficiency in the use of firearms.

    “Members of the public who have complaints on the activities of Anti Cultism Squad or any of our police teams should call the following numbers 08063299264, 08065154338 and 08060357795, please.”

  • Wife catches hubby sucking six-month-old baby’s breast

    A businessman, Sesan Folorunsho, has been accused of sexually assaulting his six-year-old son and seven-month-old daughter.

    He allegedly committed the act at Olowologbon Street, Akowonjo in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    The Nation learnt that his wife, Adewunmi, filed a complaint at Gowon Estate Police Station on March 21, with the help of Child Protection Network (CPN).

    It was gathered that she caught her husband sucking the baby’s breast about two months ago and blasted him for the act.

    A source said Adewunmi became worried when she noticed that one of the baby’s breasts was abnormal, which indicated that it had been fondled overtime.

    The source alleged: “So, when she caught her husband doing it, the woman was alarmed and rebuked him. The man said he was just playing with the child, but the woman did not know that her husband had been molesting the infant.

    “After that incident, she stopped leaving the baby with the man and usually left her to sleep in their other room with their son. But she did not know that her husband was also sodomising their six-year-old son.”

    The Nation learnt that the police could not arrest the suspect on March 21 because he was attending a religious programme outside the state.

    The children were said to have been taken to a primary health centre, from where they were transferred to Mirabel Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja for examination.

    Adewunmi was advised to inform the police when her husband returned but she suddenly changed her mind, saying she did not want her husband to go to jail.

    According to another source, the woman was threatened by her in-laws and she developed cold feet because they both hail from the same community.

    “There was so much pressure on the woman not to let her husband go to jail. She was afraid that his family would harm her if he was sent to prison. I know about the case from the church. It was even women in the church who encouraged her to report the matter at the human rights office.

    “But after the report, the woman became worried that she was from the same village with the man and that his relatives were threatening her. She said she didn’t want the man to go to jail and was no longer interested in the case,” said the source.

    When The Nation visited her home on Tuesday neighbours said they had not seen her for some days.

    CPN’s head in Alimosho Precious Ndukwu said the mights group was also worried about the woman’s whereabouts, adding: “We have been unable to reach her on the phone since she called that she was no longer interested in the case.” Ndukwu, who confirmed that the kids were treated at Mirabel, went on: “We have tried to reach her to make her understand that her husband committed a crime against innocent children and shielding him was also a crime, but we’ve been unable to reach her on the phone. We have also been to her house and found no one.”

    Read also: Girl ‘raped to death’ in Enugu

    Lagos Command spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed that the case was reported, but the complainants never came forward for further action.

    “Yes, the man’s wife and CPN went to the station to report. The police couldn’t arrest the man that day because she said he was attending a religious programme outside Lagos. She was asked to inform the division when her husband returned, but she never came back. The CPN did not come back either.

    “So, the police cannot enforce arrest where the complainants are nowhere to be found. If people are scared about the woman’s safety, let them come to the police and report, to pave the way for investigation,” Elkana said.

     

  • Truck kills woman, injures baby in Lagos

    A woman identified as Amaka Iheme was Sunday afternoon crushed to dead by an articulated vehicle while on her way from church with her family.

    It was gathered that the woman’s child who was said to have been trapped underneath the Mercedes truck with registration number SMK356XC sustained injuries.

    The accident, The Nation gathered, occurred around 12pm opposite Albati Barracks along Western Avenue.

    Read also: Man, 31 remanded in Prison for robbery

    The truck driven by one Seyi Olayiwola was said to have lost control and trampled on the victims who were trekking, killing the woman on the spot.

    Confirming the incident, police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) said the driver had been arrested and the truck recovered to the police division.

    He said the woman’s body had been deposited in the mortuary, refuting earlier claim that the baby also died.

  • Sergeant attacked by Mile 12 hoodlums’ dies

    Sergeant Damilola Adeoye attacked on Wednesday afternoon by hoodlums in Mile 12 Lagos had passed on, the police said Friday.

    Adeoye was assaulted with cutlasses and broken bottles during a clash between officials of the Lagos State Taskforce and suspected cultists in Mile 12.

    The victim who was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) died Friday morning.

    It was gathered that he had sustained deep brain and neck injuries from the attack allegedly triggered by the shooting of a commercial bus driver.

    Meanwhile, another Sergeant, Mudi Emmanuel fingered in the death of an SS1 pupil Adijat Shakiru at Adamo in Ikorodu will be charged to court for murder.

    A statement by the police said Emmanuel was found  wanting for professional misconduct and was undergoing orderly room trial at the command’s Provost Marshal Unit.

    Spokesman for the command Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) who signed the statement said Emmanuel’s actions fell short of the Rules of Engagement for the Use of Firearms and Professional Standards for Police Officers.

    READ ALSO: Hoodlums snatch ballot boxes in Lokoja

    “He will be charged to court for murder. The command is determined to continually uphold the rule of law and protect the fundamental rights of the people.”

    On the death of Sergeant Adeoye, Elkana said that the seven suspects earlier arrested will have murder added to the charges earlier drafted against them.

    He said: “The Police Sergeant injured by miscreants at Mile 12 while carrying out his legal duties alongside other members of Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental Sanitation and Special offenses, Sgt Damilola Adeoye has died Friday morning in the hospital.

    “The seven suspects arrested in respect of the attack will in addition to initial charges drafted against them, be charged for murder.”

  • Police to deploy 15, 000 personnel to monitor A ‘Ibom council poll

    Police to deploy 15, 000 personnel to monitor A ‘Ibom council poll

    The Police Command in Akwa Ibom said on Wednesday that it would deploy 15, 000 personnel to monitor the Saturday local government council election in the state.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Bala Elkana, disclosed this in Uyo while briefing newsmen on the command’s preparedness for the Dec. 1 poll.

    Elkana said that the command had mapped out strategies to ensure a free, fair and violence-free exercise.

    He explained that at least two policemen would be in charge of each polling unit to ensure a hitch-free election process.

    He said that conventional policemen without arms would be at the inner circle of the polling units while the armed ones would be at the outer circle to respond to distress calls.

    “We are deploying 15, 000 policemen for the Saturday election; every polling unit will have a minimum of two police personnel.

    “Depending on the total number of registered voters, some polling units will have larger numbers of police personnel,” Elkana said.

    The command’s spokesman said special attention would be given to conflict-prone areas such Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun Local Government Areas which had experienced serial killings in recent times.

    According to him, there will be heavy presence of security personnel in the two local government areas and other security flash points so as to nib violence in the bud.

    He said police helicopters would be deployed for aerial surveillance, adding that marine police, in collaboration with the Nigeria Navy, would take care of the coastal areas.

    Elkana warned politicians, especially political officeholders, not to go to the polling units with their armed details during the exercise.

    He stressed that all politicians must drop their armed details at a very far distance to the polling units before entering the voting arena.

    He also warned policemen attached to this group of people to behave professionally, during and after the election, stressing that any officer found wanting would be trialed and dismissed accordingly.

    He said, “The police will not tolerate any armed detail violating this order. They are policemen and they should know that professionally, they cannot follow their principals to the polling units with arms.”

    The police public relations officer also advised parents to monitor their children and wards, especially those ones that may likely be used by politicians as thugs.

    According to him, the law enforcement agents were fully prepared to handle all political thugs during and after the elections.

    “Anyone, who thinks he has firearms and wants to come out as political thugs should get the warning clear.

    “The police had ordered that anyone coming to the poling units with arms should be shot at sight. If you are armed, you are no longer a civilian,” he warned.

    He assured the residents that the police had also prepared for post-election activities, adding that adequate strategies had been put in place, to forestall any post-elections violence as was experienced in 2011.

    Akwa Ibom residents will go to poll to elect 31 local government chairmen and 329 councilors.

    NAN

  • Niger gets new police spokesperson

    Niger gets new police spokesperson

    A new spokesperson has resumed duties at the Niger State Police Command.

    She is Comfort Olawumi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

    The former PPRO, Bala Elkana, who handed over to the new spokesperson at a brief ceremony in Minna, urged the media to support the woman in her new task.

    Olawunmi is the second female PPRO in Niger State.

    Elkana, who has been posted to the Akwa-Ibom State Police Command, said Olawumi had served in various capacities in the Nigeria Police Force, adding that until her redeployment to Niger, she was the Divisional Crime Officer ‘A’ Division, Suleja.

    The new PPRO promised to continue the good works of her predecessor and solicited the support of the media in her new task.

     

  • Four feared dead in Suleja as government reclaims land

    Four people lost their lives Saturday when illegal occupants of Rafinsanyin area of Suleja old barracks refused government’s bid to reclaim the land and enforce the relocation order earlier given.
    The local government had ordered the illegal settlers of the old barracks to relocate due to its intention to use the land.
    However, when government officials and security agents arrived on Friday with bulldozers to eject the illegal settlers who have been residing in the area for almost 15 years, they were met with stiff resistance.
    The Nation learnt that no fewer than 70 armed mobile policemen accompanied Government  officials stormed the area to forcefully eject the people from barracks.
    The settlers mobilised themselves and tried to prevent the action; in a tactical retreat, the police started shooting into the air and firing teargas at the settlers.
    An eyewitness said that four people were killed including a student who was going to school while the bulldozer set to pull down the building was burnt down leading to the retreating of the government officials and policemen.
    However, the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Bala Elkana said nobody was killed in the incident adding that the only people injured were two policemen who are currently receiving treatment.
    He said that the policemen were injured by stones thrown by some hoodlums who gathered themselves to resist the government from taking over the land.
    Elkana said, “Nobody was killed. It is just a mere rumour. The police did not even engage them in any struggle. The hoodlums were the ones who threw stones who injured two of our men. Nobody from that side was injured or killed.”
    He stated that when the resistance was much, the Police suspended and backed out of the operation to prepare for the operation at the time when tempers are down.

  • Kidnappers abandon N42.2m ransom in Niger

    Police pursuit of some suspects believed to be kidnappers forced the gang to abandon N42.2 million ransom obtained from families of their victims in Kontagora, Niger State.

    Acting on a tip off, police stormed the hideout of the inter-state gang that has been terrorising people in Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States, but the kidnappers took to their heels with the aid of get-away motorcycles and left the money behind when they saw the policemen.

    Niger State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bala Elkana, disclosed this to journalists in Minna on Friday.

    According to him, the money retrieved from the gang has since been transferred to Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad, Force Criminals Intelligent and Investigations Department (FCIID), Abuja, for “discreet investigation.”

    Elkana said, “The sum of N42, 244,000.00 was abandoned and recovered in Kontagora on April 10, 2015 from a gang of suspected Kidnappers.”

    “The gang was suspected to be responsible for four cases of kidnapping that occurred in the neighbouring states recently. Two cases were recorded in Zamfara and one each in Kebbi and Sokoto States.

    “Police strongly believed that families of the victims of the gang may have been made to pay the ransom in Kontagora. “