The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Four held

  • Four held as Customs seizes N60m contraband goods

    The Kano/Jigawa Customs Command yesterday impounded over 1,500 bags of foreign rice, 500 jerrycans of vegetable oil, second-hand clothes, and a truck-load of suitcases, valued at N60 million.

    Speaking to reporters at the command’s headquarters, the Comptroller, Nasir Ahmed, said the seizure  was carried out by its officers, Customs Comptroller-General Anti-Smuggling Task Force, and Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU)

    Ahmed said those goods were intercepted at border towns and entry points, adding that four suspects were arrested and detained.

    He stated “today, we are trying to show how many bags of rice we have been able to seize in the last one week. We have 1,500 bags of rice, with a DPV of N49 million.

    “These bags of rice were smuggled by using small vehicles and we have 31 vehicles, with two motorcycles.

    “We have close to 500 jerrycans of vegetable oil, with a duty paid value of N5 million. The issue of rice is becoming a recurring decimal; and with the support of the headquarters, and the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU), crack officers from the command were marching the smugglers inch-by-inch; and we will keep marching them inch-by-inch until we run them out of the business of smuggling rice.

    “The rice and vegetable were intercepted at various areas, the various entry points into Kano.”

    According to him, the truck-load of suitcases “was brought in this morning from the Malam Fatori, on Niger-Nigerian border. The truck contains bags of suitcases and suitcases are under prohibition into Nigeria. You cannot be importing them.”

    He added that “we have four suspects in detention as we speak and we are going to prosecute them. There is no doubt about that. Just yesterday, I signed a bail paper brought to me by the legal officer, because they are entitled to bail.

    “We are not just arresting the rice and the vehicles; we are also arresting the smugglers. You see, the No. 1 thing the smuggler does is to run immediately he sights officers, and they normally abandon their vehicles, but this time around, we are able to pursue some of them and we have some of them in detention. We have given bail to some of them, and we are going to prosecute them.”

    He, however, said the bags of seized rice and other items are donated for the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    “Normally, by the presidential directive, the bags of rice go to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Last week, we loaded well over 3,000 bags of rice out of here to the IDPs in Yobe and Borno,” he added.

  • Four held for ‘vandalising’ MTN installations

    The police have arrested four suspects who allegedly vandalised telecommunication installations belonging to MTN at Mowo, Badagry.

    Monday Ogbonna, 40, Bamiji Akanni, 42, Sunday Odewale, 51 and Anthony Ivie, 30, were said to have committed the offence on July 17.

    It was gathered that the suspects used a white Mazda bus marked MUS175XW to load 16 pieces of inverter batteries from Mowo, which was intercepted at Arena Shopping Complex, Oshodi.

    According to Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal, their arrest followed a tip-off the command received on the activities of the vandals, adding that he immediately deployed a decoy team for monitoring.

    Edgal said: “Their efforts paid off when they intercepted a white Mazda bus with four occupants in front of the Arena Shopping Complex, Oshodi. When their vehicle was searched, 16 pieces of inverter batteries were found.

    “We recovered the batteries, the Mazda as well as a Toyota Hilux with registration number KTU658EW. The suspects would be charged to court at the end of investigation.”

  • Four held for ‘diverting tiles worth N10m’

    The police have arrested four persons for allegedly forging documents and diverting floor tiles and other building materials worth N10million.

    Ganiyu Yusuf, 62, Femi Adewara, 51, Ibrahim Suleimon, 30 and Akeem Abdullahi, 48, were arrested on July 4, after they allegedly diverted a 20-foot container carrying the items.

    It was gathered that the suspects diverted the container from Apapa Port and emptied its content at a shop in Iddo Terminal.

    According to Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal, the suspects forged documents to enable them move the truck from the port.

    About 406 cartons of floor tiles, six imported iron doors, three packs of wooden frame and 29 PVC woods were allegedly recovered from the suspects, who were paraded by Edgal at the Command’s Ikeja headquarters on Monday.

    Edgal also paraded three suspected robbers including a rice seller, Queen Victor, 40, said to be their ring leader.

    The woman, it was gathered, bought and registered a tricycle, which she usually gave to Monsuru Tiamiyu, 21, and Jamiu Hammed, 20, to rob passengers from Lagos Island to Apapa through Ebute-Ero.

    It was gathered that they usually took their victims to isolated areas, collect all their valuables and leave them stranded on the road.

    Hammed claimed that they gave all stolen items to the woman. According to him. According to him, sometimes he gets N5,000 from her.

    Edgal said the tricycle and two android phones were recovered from them.

    He added: “Another gang of robbers who specialised in using chemical agents to break into people’s cars was arrested. They are Teslim Abiodun and Kazeem Akolade. We recovered eight laptops from them.”

  • Badoo: Four held as police find graves, shrine

    Badoo: Four held as police find graves, shrine

    •Police uncover shrine, graves

    A special police team yesterday arrested four men in Agbowa, Ikorodu, over killings by the notorious Badoo gang.

    The team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Operations Imohimi Edgal found five graves and a shrine said to belong to the gang in Agbowa. One of the graves was said to be freshly dug.

    Those arrested were one Alhaji Tijani Awoyemi and the shrine’s alleged operator, Alhaji Alaka Abayomi, Junior Christian and Owoyemi Bamidele.

    One of the policemen who went on the operation described the shrine as one of the biggest in Ikorodu, adding that it belonged to Alhaji Abayomi.

    The source said baskets of broken eggs and other items used for sacrifices as well as figurines were found in the shrine.

    He said: “The shrine is situated on a large expanse of land surrounded by thick bushes. We saw five graves. One of them looks fresh. We couldn’t enter some of the rooms because they had iron doors.

    “We have arrested the owner of the shrine in the thick forest of Agbowa, Ikorodu. We have also arrested three others, including the operator of the shrine. They are the major suspects in the killing of a couple and their two children on Sunday.

    “The Obas in Ikorodu should know that their exalted offices have privileges and responsibilities. They have subjects within their domains. They should compel their subjects to notify them of new people moving into their areas.

    “The activities of Badoo are an internal crime.  No one would come from outside to wreak havoc in Ikorodu because the area has been cordoned off by the police.

    “The traditional rulers would sit down and watch people being killed in their domains and they won’t say anything. They should discourage their subjects from building inside the bush and living there.