The Nation Newspaper

Tag: beats

  • Husband ‘beats’ expectant wife to death four months after wedding

    •Assailant dumps body in parents house

    Barely four months after marriage, a husband, Samuel Mgbeodinma, has allegedly beaten his wife, Gloria, to death in Lagos.

    The incident occurred at Ikotun in Alimosho Local Government Area of the state on Saturday night shortly after the Nigeria-Croatia World Cup match.

    The woman was said to have hit her head on the floor after being pushed by her husband.

    Mgbeodinma allegedly bundled her remains into his car, drove to his parents residence at Egbeda, parked and left without saying anything.

    His inlaws were said to have come for their daughter’s body at noon on Sunday.

    The cause of the couple’s scuffle could not be ascertained at press time last night.

    But, according to a Facebook user, Meg Barn, Mgbeodinma did not tell his parents about the incident until about 9am on Sunday.

    Our correspondent learnt that the late Gloria was six weeks pregnant. She graduated last year from the Department of Science and Laboratory Technology of the Federal Polytechnic in Bida, Niger State, and was the Financial Secretary for the Faculty of Social Sciences.

    A relative of the late alleged that Mgbeodinma kept her from the rest of her family after their wedding.

    She said there were marks on the late Gloria’s face and body, indicating domestic violence.

    She said: “We are cousins. Her parents stay in Kwara State and that’s where she was based. She met him (Mgbeodinma) in Lagos when she came for her internship programme sometimes ago. Then, along the line, they lost touched and she searched for him through his surname on Facebook and found him.

    “That was how they reconnected. Our family did not know anything about him until December when she came with him during a family meeting and brought invitation card for their traditional marriage and white wedding.

    “I know that the elders asked then what he did for a living and he said he was a businessman. So, the wedding came and passed.

    “But we found it strange that she was not keeping in touch anymore. We never saw her again after that and each time any one of us called her, she’ll say ‘I will call you back’ but never did.

    “Seems her husband isolated her from the family because it was now that this happened that we started hearing so many things.

    “For instance, we just learnt that the husband lost his job before their wedding and that it was last month that he got another job. We also learnt that all the while, she has been living with him at his family house and that they just moved into their house at Ikotun last month too.

    “Also, my aunt said her dad called her last week that she complained she was sick and her husband did not want to take her to the hospital. So, her dad told my aunt, who’s a nurse, to look for her and take her to the hospital.

    “She said she called her to ask for her house address and my cousin sent her a message that she should not bother coming. That she was going to come to her. This was last week Wednesday and then on Saturday the incident happened.”

    The source said what happened remained a mystery. But the police, according to her, have said the violent marks on the late Gloria’s face and body showed that she was assaulted.

    The source said: “Her husband denied he did not beat her. He said after watching the Nigeria-Croatia match that Saturday, he came back and told her he wanted to go and have a haircut. He said by the time he got back, he saw her on the floor. That she might have fallen.

    “If that is true, why then did he, instead of taking her to the hospital, put her inside the car and took the car to his parent’s house at Egbeda?  He left her inside the car. She was in the car till about 12pm on Sunday, when our family members went there and took her to the mortuary.

    “Our people called the police and the police saw the marks on her body. For now, the man has not been arrested. Police have called for her father to come and make statement. He was supposed to come on Monday from Kwara but could not because his blood pressure had risen. So, they are expecting him to come and file official complaint before the man would be arrested. It is a sad thing. She did not deserve to die like that.”

    In her Facebook post, Barn wrote: “Gloria Onyedikachi Odinma (Nee Ngoforo) a beauty from Arondizuogu. How cruel can life be? Like every young beautiful girl dreams of walking down the aisle someday, yours came calling, on February 10. As you got married to your supposedly heartthrob Mgbeodinma Samuel from Awo-Idemili, little did you know that you will take a sudden bow from this space tragically via domestic violence.

    “Killed by your husband on Saturday, who after your demise, put your corpse in his car, drove to his parents house in Lagos, did not inform them till Sunday by 9am.

    “Must we hit ourselves to pass a message to our partner? Domestic violence is evil…quit now and seek help. Talk to someone. I did not want to post this after a friend sent it to me. I told him I won’t post but looking at your picture lying on the ground, I do not think I will ever forgive myself if I did not post.”

  • Wife to court: my husband beats me daily

    A middle age woman, Mrs Grace Okunwa, yesterday told a Customary Court sitting in Agege that her husbands, Macaulay Okunwa, beats her every day.

    Grace spoke while reacting to the petition filed against her by her husband seeking dissolution of their marriage.

    Grace, who also urged the court to dissolve her marriage to Macaulay for alleged domestic violence, told the court that she was fed up with the respondent’s attitude towards her.

    “My husband is adulterous, not trustworthy and dangerous; he beats me at every slight opportunity, even in front of our children and neighbours to the extent that I got injured on my legs My husband deceived me. He is dating one Theresa who lives not too far from our house but keeps denying it,” she said.

    Grace also raided her shop and destroyed expensive goods.

    “I want peace and l don’t want any problem in my life,” she said.

    She urged the court to end the marriage as she was no longer in love with him.

    The petitioner was absent in court.

    Grace said she moved out of their matrimonial home with three of her grown up children.

    The President of the court, Ibironke Elabor, adjourned the case till May 15.

     

  • Man ‘beats’ neighbour to pulp

    A 21-year-old man, John David, who allegedly beat his neighbour to a pulp, was yesterday arraigned in an Apapa Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

    The accused, a resident of Kirikiri area of Apapa, Lagos, is standing trial on a charge of assault, to which he pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Olusegun Kokoye told the court that the accused committed the offence on November 23, at their tenement building.

    He alleged that the accused assaulted the complainant, David Orji, by  biting him on the hand and beating him up.

    Kokoye said the fight started as a result of an argument which ensued between the duo.

    According to the prosecutor, the accused claimed that the complainant was abusing him without any reason.

    Kokoye said that efforts made by other tenants to settle the dispute proved abortive.

    He said that the complainant reported the case to the police and the accused was arrested.

    Senior Magistrate M.A. Etti granted the accused N50, 000 bail with one surety in the like sum.

    He adjourned the case till January 8.

     

  • My wife beats me at will, man tells court

    A retiree, Taofeek Giwa, yesterday pleaded with an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi-Ibadan, to dissolve his seven-year-old marriage with Abiodun Omotayo, on the ground that the respondent routinely beats  him.

    Giwa who recently retired from the Nigerian Prisons Service, on June 9, filed a suit, seeking dissolution of the marriage.

    In his testimony, the petitioner said Omotayo had turned him to a punching bag, using her huge stature to oppress and harass him.

    “She beats me on any slight provocation, I dare not correct her mistake,” he said.

    “In fact she is in the habit of tearing my cloth.

    “My lord, the worst she did recently was that she poisoned my meal in an attempt to kill me and I am not ready to die yet.

    “I plead with the court to separate us to avoid untimely death so that I can take care of my children and enjoy the fruits of my labour.

    “This is because I just retired from active service to my country and I want to enjoy the fruit of my labour.’’ Giwa said.

    Omotayo in her defence, denied all the allegations, but told the court that the petitioner was the one who used to pursue her with machete.

    She agreed with the divorce request, saying she was tired of living with the plaintiff because of his adulterous life.

    She, however, prayed the court to grant him custody of the only child of the marriage for proper upbringing.

    President of the court, Mukaila Balogun, dissolved the marriage and gave the custody of the only child to the respondent.

    Balogun further ordered the plaintiff to pay N3, 000 monthly allowance to the defendant for the maintenance of the child.

    He appealed to both parties to maintain peace and jointly take care of the only child of the marriage.

  • Mother beats son to death in Ogun

    Operatives of Ogun State Police Command have arrested a middle-aged woman, Mrs Bisola Olukoya, for allegedly buried her 16 -year- old son, Toheeb Olukoya, to death.

    The incident, according to the spokesman of the state police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, happened on March 17, 2017,at No 40, Ifelodun Street Onifade Itele in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    Oyeyemi said: “The suspect while beating the deceased used plank to hit him on the head, the action made the boy fell down and gave up the ghost.

    “The suspect, having realized what she has done, hurriedly buried the deceased in connivance with her husband and ran away from the house.

    ” Immediately the information got to the Police, the Divisional Police Officer(DPO), Itele Division, Lukmon Adejumo, led the detectives to investigate(the incident) and the suspect was later traced and arrested at Iyana – Ipaja in Lagos.

    He added: “The Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Iliyasu, ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCID). He equally appealed to general public to always control their temperament especially when correcting their wards.’’

  • Warri Wolves beats Akwa Utd .Closes in on Enyimba

    Warri Wolves beats Akwa Utd .Closes in on Enyimba

    Warri Wolves have closed within three points of Nigeria league leaders Enyimba after they thrashed Akwa United 3-0 in a rescheduled game Thursday morning.

    Wolves now have 59 points from 34 matches, just three points shy of leaders Enyimba with four matches to the end of the season.

    The match between hosts Wolves and Akwa was re-arranged for Thursday after heavy rain rendered the pitch at the Warri City Stadium unplayable.

    Joseph Osadiaye smashed a hat-trick within 68 minutes against his former club.

    He opened scoring after 13 minutes off a corner by Ikechukwu Igbenegbu, before he completed his brace in the 51st minute courtesy of another assist by Ibenegbu.

    His third goal was a superb curler from outside the box.

    Akwa were reduced to 10 men in the 53rd minute when Konnou Paterne was sent off after a second booking.

  • Man beats expectant mother to death

    A middle-aged man has fled his home after allegedly beating his wife to death. The deceased, Mujidat, 42, was carrying a four-month pregnancy when the tragedy occurred.

    The suspect (names withheld) committed the murder in Apata area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, last week.

    It was learnt that the deceased challenged her husband to explain the reason he was having a love affair with another woman. She was said to have caught the husband with the woman in his car.

    According to a police source, a hot argument ensued, leading to a fight between the couple. Mujidat, it said, died during the fight.

    Police spokesperson Mrs Olabisi Ilobanafor, said the case was reported at the Apata Police Division by the deceased’s father, Pa Rufus Tijani, who accused the suspect of killing his pregnant daughter. The suspect, she said, had since fled, abandoning his home and car.

    She said Mujidat’s corpse had been deposited at the morgue of the Oyo State Hospital, Adeoyo, off Ring Road, Ibadan.

    Ilobanafor, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said that police were on the suspect’s trail, assuring: “Wherever he is hiding, I advise him to report himself because he must come and explain his role in the criminal act.”

  • Female journalism students urged to seek ‘tough’ beats

    Female journalism students urged to seek ‘tough’ beats

    Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu has urged female journalism students to aim for the best.

    Mr Olaniyonu spoke at the opening session of a workshop for 50 female students studying journalism in tertiary institutions in the Southwest sponsored by United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), hosted by the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State.

    Olaniyonu, who is former Editor of Thisday on Sunday, said the students should not settle for the stereotyped soft beats often assigned to women journalists in the newsroom, but go outside their comfort zones to cover challenging beats.

    He said opportunities abound for female journalists in the newsrooms of the Nigerian media industry. He said though there are few women editing mainstream newspapers in the country, it should not be assumed that the men do not want to give the women chance. On the contrary, he said many women settle for soft beats, such as fashion and style, women issues, intimacy and broadcast.

    He urged female journalists not to limit themselves to writing on fashion, style and others, but to dare gravitate into the realm of investigative journalism, business reporting, citing the Editor of Thisday, Ijeoma Nwaogwugwu, as a woman who he said, was a skilful business reporter.

    Olaniyonu recalled that there was a time in Nigeria when Daily Times sold 500,000 copies daily when there were few literate Nigerians with equally less purchasing power. He said one of the reasons of newspapers are not selling today is that the news they carry are not compelling enough to attract readers.

    The Commissioner said media houses are looking for journalists who would file unique stories capable of standing one medium apart from the park, adding the upcoming female journalists should strive to make the difference readers are looking for in the nation’s newspapers’ industry.

    Underscoring the importance of the workshop, Olaniyonu said it would help the students hone their skills and help them secure good employment on graduation.

    “This is a great opportunity that you have been offered. It is a thing of pride; it would help you to secure good employment. I am imploring you to leave this pace with determination of making use of it. By doing this you are restoring the glory of journalism,” he said.

    The budding female journalists receive tutelage on the skills of investigative journalism from other resource persons – including multiple award winner, Stella Sawyer of Tell Magazine, and the National Programme Officer and Command Information of UNESCO Abuja, Mr Oluseyi Shoremeku, who said investigative journalism is a service to the public.

    He implored participants to take the challenges in the future toward investigative journalism.

    Participants were drawn from the Universities of Ibadan, Lagos, Covenant University, Ota, Redeemer’s University, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta among others.

    No fewer than 50 female trainee-journalists drawn from the tertiary institutions in the Southwest benefited from a training on Investigative Journalism in a workshop facilitated by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

     

  • SSS beats The Nation’s reporter at Akpabio’s birthday

    Operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) in Akwa Ibom State yesterday beat up The Nation’s reporter in Akwa Ibom, Kazeem Ibrahim, during the 50th birthday celebration of Governor Godswill Akpabio.

    Reporters who were to attend the church’s service were not allowed into the makeshift hall even as they were led by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Anietie Ukpe.

    About 10 SSS operatives held Ibrahim by his neck, threw him on the floor despite Ukpe’s pleas that the victim is a known journalist to him. It took the intervention of other reporters to rescue him.

    Reporters of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) arrived at the venue of the church service by 10.30 am but were barred from entering even with official invitation card.

    After some were cleared, the security details at the gate stopped The Nation reporter from entering, rebuffing every explanation.

    It was like a fight between reporters and security operatives until guests, who observed the crisis, cautioned the security men to be civil.

    Reporters and other guests were shocked when an operative, believed to be a senior SSS official, identified as Shola, challenged Ukpe and threatened to lock him up.

    “Who are you? It takes anybody to be CPS but it takes people with intelligence to be in the SSS,” he retorted.

    This action of chasing, beating, harassing reporters is common in Akwa Ibom State during official functions.

    The NUJ condemned the practice of harassing and barring of reporters from official functions.

    “The over-zealousness exhibited by some security operatives at state events is unreasonable and counter-productive as the press is not a security threat but has a sacred duty of purveying information for public good,” the union said.