The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Burglars

  • Airline confirms arrest of suspected burglars

    Air Peace has confirmed the arrest of its former employees by security personnel of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), over the burglary at its Akure Airport office last Sunday.

    A statement by the Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, said the suspects worked for the airline for less than a month.

    The airline hailed the vigilant FAAN security personnel for resolving the riddle surrounding the burglary.

    The Akure office of the airline was burgled between Sunday night and Monday morning.

    “We praise the vigilant FAAN security personnel for arresting the suspects and handing them over to the police for investigation. We trust the police will ensure they are made to face the wrath of the law, to act as a deterrent to others,” Air Peace said.

     

  • Five alleged burglars stole N2.9m goods

    Five men were, at the weekend, arraigned at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly breaking into an apartment and stealing five laptops, four cameras and other valuables, worth N2.9 million.

    Chukwukebuka Onuoha, 39; Charles Ejezie, 35; Chimobi Nwaeze, 28; Tosin Oyetakin, 30 and Ernest Azuka, 23, residents of Ajegunle, Lagos, are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and burglary.

    The prosecutor, Simeon Imhonwa, told the court the accused committed the offences on July 12 at Ekundayo Street, Ajegunle, Lagos.

    He said they conspired to break into the apartment of John Olomu and committed the act.

    “The accused and his accomplices used a sharp object to gain access and carried out the operation because the owner of the apartment had gone to work.

    “The accused and his cohorts were caught by the complainant’s neighbour, who saw the accused coming out with laptops and other valuables.

    “She shouted and residents came out and apprehended the accused while they were trying to escape.

    “Olomu reported the case to the police immediately his neighbours notified him of the theft and the accused were arrested,” Imhonwa said.

    The offences contravened sections 287, 307 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 prescribes a three-year jail term for stealing; Section 411 stipulates two years for conspiracy; while Section 307 stipulates seven years for burglary.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. B.O. Osunsanmi, granted the accused bail at N300,000 each with two sureties.

    She adjourned hearing till September 19.

  • Students nab four burglars

    Students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) in Niger State, on Sunday, foiled a burglary by a five-man gang in Gidan Matasa, an off-campus residential area close to Bosso campus.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the armed burglars broke into a hostel in the midnight, dispossessing students of their values, including laptops, phones, electrical gadgets and house wares.

    According to an eyewitness, Husseini Yahaya, luck ran out for the hoodlums when residents raised alarm as the burglars made attempt to escape in a tricycle with their loot.

    Husseini said: “The five young men came in a Keke NAPEP (tricycle) which they wanted to use to convey the items they looted. I was able to identify two of the gang members. They are security guards attached to an uncompleted building close to the hostel they broke into. One of them drove the Keke NAPEP. The identities of the other two robbers were unknown. We apprehended four of them, but one escaped.”

    A final year engineering student, who gave his name as Samuel, said he was awake till 2am before the burglars arrived an hour after. He said the shout of “Barawo” (Hausa for thief) woke him up.

    He said: “It was a bloody scene when the burglars were caught. They were beaten with all minds of hard materials. We must commend students and others residents who quickly responded to the distress call and chased the bandits.”

    A female student, who gave his name as Folashade, told CAMPUSLIFE that students had been living in at the mercy of housebreakers and criminals, who besiege the area to rob students returning from the school.

    Students appealed to the police to deploy armed personnel to the area in order to curb the incessant cases of theft and homicide.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the quick intervention of police prevented the angry mob from lynching the suspects.

  • SERAP’s Ikeja office burgled

    SERAP’s Ikeja office burgled

    The office of the of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) at 4, Akintoye Shogunle Street, off John Olugbo Street, off Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja was on Tuesday burgled.

    This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by a senior staff attorney in the organization, Mr. Timothy Adewale.

    The burglars who beat security personnel before gaining entrance into the office, went away with files, some cash and damaged computers and cabinets in the office.

    On completion of their operation, the burglars left behind a note which reads, “Not our target. We will be back”.

    The statement stated in part: “On the night of October 3, 2016, unknown people broke into the offices of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) at Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. The intruders somehow escaped security gates surrounding the street, before gaining access to the office building and cutting open the iron bars protecting the locked office front door.

    “Some of the computers and cabinets were damaged. The intruders broke into the office safe, taking away some petty cash and files.

    “The offices were thoroughly ransacked and a TV screen on the wall at the reception was dropped on the floor. The intruders also dropped a threat note on the table at the reception, which reads “Not our target. We will be back.”

    “The matter has been reported at the Area “F” Police Station, Ikeja, Lagos. The matter is now a subject of police investigation.

    “The staff who resumed early morning on October 4, 2016 took several photos of the incident. We are assessing the situation to find out what else might be missing from the office”, the statement added.

    SERAP is a non-governmental organization dedicated to strengthening the socio-economic welfare of Nigerians by combating corruption and promoting transparency and accountability.

    SERAP received the Wole Soyinka Anti-Corruption Defender Award in 2014.

    It has also been nominated for the UN Civil Society Award and Ford Foundation’s Jubilee Transparency Award.

    SERAP serves as one of two Sub-Saharan African civil society representatives on the UNCAC Coalition, a global anti-corruption network of over 310 civil society organizations (CSOs) in over 100 countries.

  • Police parade four ‘burglars’

    Police parade four ‘burglars’

    The police in Ondo State yesterday paraded four suspects for allegedly burgling a barbing saloon and stealing a phone and other valuables.

    It was gathered that the suspects had been terrorising Ayedun Quarters in Akure, the state capital, before they were apprehended.

    It was gathered that Adebowase Idowu reported that his barbing saloon at 39 Ijsola Street, Ayedun Quarters, was burgled.

    One of the suspects, Ayodele Oluwafemi, took the stolen phonet to a relation of the complainant for repairs.

    Commissioner of Police Mrs. Ibifuro Harrison identified other suspects as Kolawole Adebanjo, Segun Oluwasesan and Oyintola Ilesanmi.

    She said: “It will interest you to know that each time the suspects went for their operations, there was someone assisting them with receipts as if the items were genuinely bought.

    Recovered from them were knife, 10 generating sets, six standing fans, nine CD players, six television sets, Nokia phone, two mattresses and pillow, big speaker, glass cabinet, three DVD players and a laptop.

    The police boss urged anyone with missing items similar to those recovered to come forward to claim them.

  • How to secure your homes against burglars

    An online property portal, Lamudi has given property owners tips on how to secure their homes against unwanted guests.

    The firm identified human security: security, electrical: electrified fences, electronics (alarm systems, security cameras, motion detectors), structural (huge iron gates, bullet-proof doors, high fences, peepholes), animal such as trained dogs as some of the traditional ways of securing properties.

    Its Public Relations Officer, Keisha Diamond, said some of these security measures can deter criminals, lamenting that not everyone can afford to live in a high-fenced compound or employ security staff.

    She said: “Here are some of the things you can do to ensure your home’s security. Try out this exercise: Imagine arriving at your doorstep without a key, how are you going to get into the house? Think outside the box. Would you break the windows? Would you go through a back door? After brainstorming, you will likely find out a weak spot around your home that you may need to secure. Make sure you install door and window alarms.

    “If you already have an alarm system, but it goes off every once in a while without being tripped, then you need to have it repaired, or your neighbou   rs might neglect a burglar who breaks in, thinking it is a false alarm. Install motion sensor detectors, and using lighting at night deters most burglars, especially when you travel out of town.”

    According to her, some homes have security cameras at all entrance points, adding that an intercom could come in handy too, but is not always the safest bet as a criminal may disguise as a sales person for instance.

    “Install metal doors with peep holes. You can also have windows built next to the entrance doors. Install a safe for cash, important documents and expensive jewellery.

  • Burglars on the rampage in Ogun community

    Burglars on the rampage in Ogun community

    SINCE a recent clampdown on robbery gangs by the Ogun State Police Command, the dare devil robbers, who had been terrorising innocent citizens in the state, are believed to have resorted to burgling shops and supermarkets in the state to cart away expensive goods. With instruments like iron cutters and heavy industrial hammers, burglars are said to be having a field day in Iyana-Iyesi community and its neighbouhoods.

    Last month, burglars were reckoned to have broken into more than seven shops and supermarkets in the area. The development has led to calls on the police to checkmate the activities of the hoodlums, particularly because it is capable of halting the rapid development of the area. Others cannot help but wonder why their joy that the menace of armed robbery had been curbed in the area would be cut short by the activities of burglars.

    Some argued that the opening of viewing centres on major roads in the area could have encouraged the ugly development. Upon our reporter’s visit to the Central Mosque area of Iyana-Iyesi where about five shops were burgled and goods worth millions of naira were carted away in one fell swoop, Mr. Obas Innocent, whose medicine and supermarket store was burgled, narrated how the burglars cut the keys to his supermarket in the night and carted away goods and drugs worth hundreds of thousands of naira. He said: “It was on September 30 that they burgled my supermarket in the night. The burglars, who some people suspected was a four-man gang, broke into five shops on that fateful day.

    “They broke into my supermarket and carted away drugs worth thousands of naira. You can see that the drug shelves are empty because they packed all the drugs on display. These were drugs I had just bought a few days before they burgled my shop. “They also carted away provisions and took the sum of N3,000 I left in the drawer. They cut the keys I used to lock the door and the burglary proof to gain entry. Although the police have visited, no arrest has been made so far. “They also burgled four other shops, including the one that sells phones and phone accessories. They carted the shop owner’s phones away.

    “There is also a foam shop. They broke into it and carted away whatever they could lay their hands on. The other one is a nylon shop. They also broke into it. “I was attacked by armed robbers in this shop some years ago. They came into the supermarket when I had not closed. It was between 8.30 pm and 9 pm. They shot at me. More than 40 pellets were extracted from my body. They ransacked the whole place and carted away goods and medicine worth thousands of naira and all the sales I made for that that day. I don’t want to mention the amount, but it was huge. Up till now, nobody has been arrested.

    “The police have visited the affected shops and supermarkets and they say they are still investigating. By the special grace of God, the culprits will be arrested.” Asked why the other victims had not reported the incident to the police, he said: “Some of them see it as a waste of time because of their belief that the police will only be telling them to come today or come tomorrow.

    “They also feel that reporting to the police could endanger their lives because they could be attacked by burglars for reporting them. Most importantly, they do not want to be seen by the burglars as fighting them. “Again, the burglars are not yet known. So, you don’t even know who is watching you.” Our reporter visited the area called Powerline.

    A resident, who spoke with our reporter but pleaded that his name or picture should not be used for security reasons, said: “The road that leads into this community leads into a canal. In that canal, you find people smoky Indian hemp. Some of them do so in order to have the boldness to commit crime.

    “The place is secluded and convenient for criminals to meet and relax, because those who go there to smoke act like one family. “The truth is that one hardly sees police in the night in the areas where they operate.

    They are taking advantage of that. If the burglars dare do it here, the vigilante will catch them and hand them over to the police after a thorough beating. At Rainbow Roundabout area, a man who identified himself simply as Segun, said: “Two months ago, the burglars operated at a pharmaceutical shop there and drugs worth N400,000 were carted away in addition to an unspecified sum of money.

    “Let me use this medium to appeal to the Chairman of Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government Area to come and build the roads and streets in this area to make them motorable. The streets are so bad that police patrol vans may find it difficult to branch to some of them in the night. Some of them are very swampy. If the streets are made motorable, it will help to fight crime.”

    In a text message forwarded to our correspondent, the spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “ The affected shop owners had refused to show up let alone pursue the matter. They said they were not interested in any case, and their attitude poses a challenge. But I want to urge people to always show interest in cases like this.’’

  • Burglars raid Kwara Finance Ministry

    Suspected burglars have reportedly broken into the Kwara State Ministry of Finance.

    They were said to have carted away undisclosed amounts of money and documents, including their electronic backups, which detail government transactions from 2003 till date.

    It was learnt the suspected burglars first attempted to break into the Accountant-General’s Office in the ministry on September 21, but the security guards and the burglary-proof doors reportedly made it impossible.

    The attackers were said to have returned on Saturday night with assorted tools and grenades.

    They broke into the offices where the documents and money were kept, sources said.

    The story first surfaced on twitter, a social network, when a whistleblower mentioned it on Tuesday.

    It was said to have prompted a terse response from Dr Muideen Akorede, Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed’s spokesman, who called the incident a robbery.

    The governor’s spokesman added that the matter was being investigated.

    Akorede also made tacit confirmation of the foiled first attempt when he wrote on twitter: “Why would someone break into a place and return two days later?”

    He called the incident an attempt to blackmail the government and its officials.

    The governor’s spokesman refused to answer questions the whistleblower and others asked him on the incident.

    For instance, he was quiet on why the government treated the matter like an official secret and why there was no tighter security after the foiled attack on Friday night.

    More than a week after, neither the state government nor the police have spoken officially on the matter.

    It was not clear yesterday whether or not an arrest has been made.

    A source said: “Having failed in their first attempt, the burglars returned to the same place in the early hours of September 22. This time, they were armed with sophisticated weapons and equipment, including a power generating machine and grenades with which they blew up the door and other encumbrances.

    “While forcing their way into the place, they injured and disarmed the two security guards, one of who I understand jumped the fence and ran to the police for help. But rather than follow the security guard to the place, the police reportedly directed him to report at Division ‘C’ at Oja Oba in Ilorin, the state capital, then to Area ‘A’, which is in charge of the place. Later, he was asked to return to the state police command.”