The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Hoodlums

  • IGP: Save us from hoodlums

    IGP: Save us from hoodlums

    SIR: The residents of Ilogbo-Ota, Ado-Odo Local Govt. Area of Ogun State seek the quick intervention of the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force (IG), Mohammed Abubakar to save them from the reign of terror being unleashed by hoodlums allegedly led by two well known characters.

    The residents have been living at their mercy since   March 7, when one of these men and his agents invaded Oke-Odo Ekusere while armed with dangerous weapons terrorizing innocent villagers.

    They mounted illegal road blocks, extorting money and valuable items from their victims. In the process, many   innocent people were injured, some were attacked with machetes.

    These men carry on as if they are above the law with the police looking helpless.

    Ogun State people, particularly Ilogbo community, deserve peace, progress and development.

    The community humbly seeks your urgent intervention in this regard with a view to protecting innocent lives from these violent characters.

    • Chief Matthew Alani Dada

    Ilogbo-Ota, Ogun State

  • Hoodlums take terror to Lagos community

    A first-class traditional ruler, Oba Adeoriyomi Oyebo, the Obateru of Egben Kingdom, Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb, was last week detained over the death of two policemen in Mowo-Nla village, Ijede Local Development Area of the town.

    The monarch, who was released in the evening on Friday after two days in detention, was asked to return two AK47 police rifles in his custody.

    Police invited him last Wednesday over the alleged killing of the policemen and some others in his domain.

    It was gathered that the monarch, who was not told why the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, wanted to see him, went to the Police Command with his wife. He was shocked when the commissioner ordered him detained for interrogation.

    His community is allegedly notorious for the activities of hoodlums and land grabbers who allegedly carry out various heinous crimes that have reportedly cut short the lives of many innocent residents.

    It was gathered that early on that Wednesday, policemen at a nearby division had received a distress call. Unknown to them, it was an ambush by some of the hoodlums in the community, who had perfected plans to attack them.

    One of the victims, a Police Inspector, who led other policemen to the area, following the distress call, ran into the hoodlums’ ambush. They allegedly opened fire on them, killing the Inspector. Another policeman died later, following injuries he sustained from machete cuts.

    It was gathered that the hoodlums attacked the policemen because the monarch did not allow them to sell lands illegally.

    There was, however, a twist in the whole saga when Otunba Kamorudeen Lamina, a Lagos-based property consultant, petitioned the police.

    His petition, sent to the Commissioner through his solicitors, Falana& Falana Chambers, is alleging “malicious damage, unlawful invasion and theft of personal effect.”

    The petition said that on May 21, one Ayeni, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) attached to Mopol 22, Ikeja, led about 60 mobile policemen to unlawfully invade his office at 262, Sagamu Road, Odogunyan, Ikorodu, saying that in the process, his office was burgled and his valuables carted away with N1.75 million

    The petition also the same policemen invaded his I, Obagunle Close, Odogunyan home, manhandled, handcuffed and dumped his security guard in the trunk of their car, before forcefully gaining entry into the main building and carted away jewellery worth N1.6 million and N2,65 million cash.

    He said he became worried when he reported the incident at the Shagamu Road Police Station, and was informed that the raid was never recorded at the station.

    The petitioner said he complained to the Commander, ‘Area N,’ Ijede, who told him that one Oba Oyebo was alleged to be harbouring some hoodlums who eventually invaded Mowo-Nla.

    The police arrested three of the hoodlums, who were said to have confessed that the monarch asked them to invade the community.

    He wondered why his office and home should be invaded since he had no link with the invasion of the village.

    Police sources, however, told our Correspondent yesterday that DSP Ayeni and some of his men had been detained for interrogation by the Police High Command, while about 10 of the suspected hoodlums were also held.

  • Hoodlums take over hospital

    Residents of Agbelekale community in Agbado-Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State are angry over the worsening condition of the maternal centre in their domain.

    The chairman, Ise-Oluwa Community Development Association (ICDA), Revd Samuel Owoseni, who spoke for them, said the hospital was built a few years ago, as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) project of the federal government.

    “The hospital was an MDG project initiated by the federal government and was handed over to the council for management. Sadly, it has since not been commissioned for use. Now, hoodlums have taken over the premises of the hospital and vandalized its multimillion naira facilities.

    Another worried resident, Mrs Olaolu Ishola, told The Nation: “The community is not benefiting from the continued abandonment of the hospital because it has become a haven for criminals. As you can see for yourself, the lightings, fans, doors and other facilities have been destroyed by miscreants who now sleep in the hospital. We have approached the authorities of the Agbado-Oke-Odo Council and the Lagos State Government to intervene, but we are still waiting on them.”

    However, the chairman, Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area, Hon. Augustine Arogundade, explained that the state government was yet to properly hand over the hospital to the council.

    “The hospital is located at Olota and it has not been handed over to my council area. We are also aware that some hoodlums are using the hospital as their haven and we have duly informed the state government about the development. As I speak, the Lagos State Government is already making effort to ensure a proper hand-over of the hospital to us.”

  • Hoodlums attack Rep Oyeyemi Bamidele

    Hoodlums attack Rep Oyeyemi Bamidele

    A  member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (Ado/Irepodun/Ifelodun Federal Constituency), has been attacked by unknown assailants, who shot at his car.

    Narrating his experience to reporters over the phone, Bamidele said: “I was in Igede-Ekiti to complete the negotiation for a space for my constituency office in Ado-Ekiti. As we were about leaving, we heard the sound of a stone on the Prado Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). I was conveyed to the town in that vehicle, but unknown to my assailants, I was leaving in the Land Cruiser my driver brought later.

    “They attacked the Prado SUV and smashed the windscreens. When they realised that I was not in the Prado, they shot at the Land Cruiser, but I escaped by the whiskers. I urge security agencies to call my assailants to order. No amount of threat would stand between me and my determination to pursue the 2014 governorship agenda.”

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain said four people have been arrested in connection with the incident and are being detained at the Okesa Police Station in Ado-Ekiti.

    He said: “Some powerful forces in government have started mounting pressure on the Area Commander of Okesa Police Station to release those detained.”

    Police Commissioner Sotonye Wakama said the command was aware of the incident, but denied that anyone was arrested.

  • Hoodlums assault Ondo NURTW deputy chair

    The crisis rocking the Ondo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) deepened at the weekend. Its Deputy Chairman, Apostle Omobomi Ajisafe, was beaten by hoodlums allegedly sent by the Chairman, Chief Oladutele Obayoriade

    The national executive of the union had invited the state executive to Abuja last Thursday over allegation of ticket racketeering.

    Ajisafe, who went to resume work on Friday after the Abuja meeting at the state secretariat at Omolere, Akure, the state capital, was molested.

    Ajisafe was invited to a liquor joint bar another unionist, who then allegedly ordered his “boys” to beat him (Ajisafe) up. The ‘boys’ were said to have injured Ajisafe and his driver.

    Ajisafe was hospitalised at the Specialist Hospital, Akure.

    Narrating his ordeal, Ajisafe urged the police to investigate the matter.

    He said: “After returning from Abuja, I went to our secretariat on Friday, but I was shocked by the attitude of some junior officers who were abusing me. It had never happened before. Their attitude towards me was abnormal; so, I began to suspect a foul-play and decided to leave the secretariat. As I made to leave, I received a phone call from the chairman, asking me to come to a drinking joint beside the office.

    “To my surprise, I saw many of our members there. They were armed but I could not turn back at that point. Before I knew what was happening, I was given the beating of my life in the presence of the chairman. At some point, he ordered them to stop beating me and asked my driver who was equally beaten to leave the place. I was immediately rushed to the hospital where I was treated for my wounds.”

    Ajisafe appealed to the police to also guarantee his safety.

    When contacted on phone, Obayoriade said he was “not ready to react to such an issue.”

    He said: “I am at a meeting; I am not ready to react to such a baseless issue”.

    The spokesman of the state Police Command, Wole Ogodo, said he had not been briefed on the matter.

    Such an incident was not new in the state. A former executive member of the state branch of the union, Mr. Ariyo Adetula, was allegedly attacked on January 30 on Ondo-Akure Road by some unknown people.

    The attackers who were allegedly in a convoy of six cars were said to have pursued him from Ondo town to Owena Junction.

  • 10 injured as hoodlums invade prayer for Kogi ex-Governor Idris

    Ten people reportedly sustained gunshot wounds last Friday when hoodlums reportedly invaded the prayer for former Kogi State Governor Idris Wada for his successful completion of his two-term tenure.

    The hoodlums were said to have clashed at Abejukolo and Ola wards of Omala Local Government, during the prayer held in the morning for the former governor.

    Several property worth millions of naira were also reportedly destroyed.

    The thugs were allegedly hired from Benue State by the Liaison Officer 1 (LO1) of the local council, Aminu Atabor.

    The hoodlums were said to have stormed the former governor’s home with weapons as they searched for the opponents of their pay master.

    The assailants allegedly mounted road blocks at the gate of the former governor’s home, hurled missiles at those who refused to sing the slogan of their sponsors.

    It was learnt that the prayer turned bloody when Idris allegedly “anointed” a particular candidate for the coming local government election in the state.

    An eyewitness said as early as 7am, people had begun trooping to the former governor’s home before the prayer at the Jumaat service.

    It was learnt that the hoodlums frisked and prevented perceived enemies of the council chairman from entering the compound.

    The source said those challenged the hoodlums were beaten up, while cars’ wind screens were shattered.

    It was also learnt that the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Ali Ajuh, escaped death by the whiskers as the side glass of his Hilux van was smashed.

    Another guest, Ibrahim Inuwa Abagana’s Honda Prelude was riddled with bullets as the hoodlums shot at his car in front of the former governor’s home.

    Almost all the local government chairmanship aspirants, who wanted to attend the event, had their vehicles pelleted with stones and sticks, while some of their supporters were frog-jumped and stabbed.

  • Hoodlums invade councils in Imo

    •12 arrested, secretariats deserted

    Armed men attached to the Imo State Security Network yesterday allegedly raided local government secretariats in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

    They were said to have gone round the secretariat in camouflage police uniform.

    It was learnt that the hoodlums drove in three Hilux vans.

    They allegedly invaded Owerri Municipal Council, shooting into the air and beating anyone on their way.

    Economic activities as well as human and vehicular movements were hampered as the people abandoned their businesses and vehicles in fear.

    Business outlets reportedly closed down in a hurry.

    The eyewitness said the assailants went straight to the council chairman’s office and beat up his political aides.

    “When they came in, we thought they were policemen from the way they dressed. But when they started shooting, we abandoned our duty posts and ran away.

    “We quickly alerted the police and, luckily, a combined team of policemen and soldiers arrived the scene and dislodged the thugs. Twelve of them were arrested,” the source said.

    The Nation learnt that the hoodlums had invaded Orlu Local Government Area’s secretariat, where they allegedly abducted a councilor and two other political appointees.

    The Secretary of the Imo State chapter of the All Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Enyinna Onuegbu, led other chairmen to a meeting with Police Commissioner Baba Adisa Bolanta at the command headquarters.

    He criticised the government for harass and intimidate the council chairmen.

    Onuegbu alleged that the thugs were instructed to maim or eliminate any chairman who resisted them.

    He added: “We are not engaging the state government in any power show or muscle-flexing. We are only protecting our mandate. And no matter what they do, we won’t vacate the councils until the court gives a ruling on our tenure elongation.”

  • Ondo: Soldiers to shoot hoodlums

    Ondo: Soldiers to shoot hoodlums

    SOLDIERS yesterday got a shoot-on-sight order against hoodlums at tomorrow’s Ondo State governorship election, if they resist arrest.

    The General Officer Commanding (GOC) Nigeria Army 2 Division, Major Gen. Mohammed Abubakar, gave the order while addressing soldiers to be deployed for election duties in Akure.

    He spoke to them at the 32 Artillery Brigade in Ondo State capital.

    Akume, the General, who said nobody would be allowed to carry arms to polling centres, also ordered his men to arrest anybody who violates the order.

    He said soldiers were deployed for the election from various formations to ensure that the state has a free and fair poll, but refused to disclose the specific number of soldiers deployed.

    Gen Abubakar said: “Nobody will be allowed to move around on that day, except for those on essential duties and those on election duty. No hunting on the Election Day. I am happy that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has said that there will be no fishing during the poll. I don’t want to hear that I am going to the bush to hunt. Anybody with arm must be arrested. If he resists arrest, shoot him. I give you the order,” he said.

    The GOC added: “Movement will be restricted from 6pm to 6am, but motorists travelling across the state to other parts of the country will be allowed passage after they must have proved that they are not going into the state.”

    Gen. Abubakar hinted that he had received a petition from one of the candidates who accused another standard bearer of inducing some soldiers with money to allow his party to win.

    While warning soldiers not to compromise with any politician, he said any soldier caught in such act would be dealt with.

    The GOC cautioned his men: “No amount of money they promise you will turn you to Abiola or Dangote. These people worked for their money. So, be satisfied with what the Nigerian Army gives you.

    “On election day, there will be a dress code for the troops so that we identify the real soldiers from the fake ones.”

    Soldiers and riot policemen have taken over major parts of Akure, Ifon, Owo, Ondo town, Akungba and other urban areas of the state.

    At entry points to the towns, especially the state capital, security check points mounted by soldiers are strategically-located to check vehicles coming in and going out.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office located at Alagbaka area in Akure was fully secured.

    Police anti-bomb squad and operatives of other security agencies took over the premises.

    Journalists, civil society groups and other local and international observers were having a hectic time getting accredited for the governorship at the INEC office.

    Head of Media Department of INEC, Aisien Odaro, said journalists will be accredited by 4 pm today.

    Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar yesterday deployed Rivers State Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ndabawa, to take charge of security matters in tomorrow’s governorship election.

    State Police spokesman Adeniran Aremu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the commissioner assumed duties on Thursday.

    He said Ndabawa held a meeting with some top police officers on election matters with a view to achieving success in his new assignment.

    The CP will stand in for the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Danladi Mshelbwala, for the period of the election.

    Aremu said the command was fully prepared for the election, and urged the electorate not to entertain fears but come out to cast their votes.

    He said adequate security measures had been made to ensure the protection of lives and properties during the polls.

    Some political parties had called for the replacement of the INEC Resident Commissioner and the Commissioner of Police as part of measures to ensure free and fair election.

     

  • Hoodlums hit students again

    Hoodlums hit students again

    Another polytechnic was attacked in Adamawa State yesterday. Two students were critically injured.

    The attack came barely three days after the murder of no fewer than 40 students in the commercial town of Mubi.

    Relations of some of the victims were yesterday making plans to bury them.

    The town remained desolate as students of the Federal Polytechnic, which was the worst hit by the killings, the Adamawa State University and the School of Health Technology, have vacated the town. The institutions have been shut down indefinitely.

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) urged President Goodluck Jonathan to go beyond mere condemnation of the killings.

    Adamawa State Police spokesman Ibrahim Mohammed, who said arrests had been made, declined to give the number of those arrested so as not to “jeopardise investigations”.

    He said the police were working on the possibility that the killings could be linked to cult activities among students since they took place barely three days after an acrimonious student union government election at the polytechnic.

    Yesterday, the Adamawa State Polytechnic in the state capital, Yola, was under siege by hoodlums, the rector said.

    Professor Abdullahi Bobboi urged law enforcement agents to quickly protect the students.

    He said the school came under attack from some hoodlums allegedly led by “Abdul Black”, whom, he said was believed to have gained access into the polytechnic complex through the Jimeta Police Barracks.

    Bobboi said two students were lying critically ill at the Yola Specialist Hospital, as a result of injuries sustained from the attack by the hoodlums.

    He lamented the incessant incursions into the institution by hoodlums, drug peddlers and miscreants through the breached fence the institution is sharing with the police barracks.

    “We have complained again and again, time without number, to the police authorities in Yola, to intervene, as the security breach is now reaching an alarming rate”, the rector said.

    CAN advised the President to ensure that the perpetrators of the killings are fished out.

    The association pleaded with the National Assembly to speed up the passage of the anti-terrorism bill and “introduce clauses that will discourage those with penchant for murder, bombing and other terrorist activities”.

    According to a statement in Abuja by its General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Musa Asake, CAN said: “It is with a heavy heart that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) received the news of the killing of over 40 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State University and the School of Health Technology on the night of the Independence Day.

    “After a careful study of the various reports on the issue, coupled with the latest information that there is currently a stampede of students and lecturers who have taken advantage of the free period preceding the curfew imposed by the state government to flee the institutions, CAN vehemently condemns the barbaric act of the gunmen.

    “It commiserates with families who lost their loved ones, students and authorities of the affected institutions. CAN rejects the theory of election dispute as responsible for the massacre of over 40 students, having regards to the manner it was reportedly carried out. It believes that the reason is phoney and that such a theory, arrived at in haste, can only serve to shield the real culprits and cover up their motives.

    “We are, however, consoled by the directive of the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, that security agencies should ‘promptly arrest’ the killers of the students. But CAN is of the view that the Federal Government should go beyond this directive and ensure that those caught are made to face the full weight of the laws of our land. It is unacceptable to CAN that students whose parents have spent fortunes on their education would be cut down by some elements in the society whose trademark is blood and sorrow.

    “It is gratifying that some arrests have been made by the Police. We call on the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that those arrested are the real culprits so that the innocent would not suffer for the sins of villains like the gunmen. The police should not arrest those fleeing in the name of making a breakthrough. Security agencies must fish out the gunmen and there should be no cover-up.

    “CAN believes in the oneness of Nigeria, in accordance with her secular status, and would, therefore, kick against any divisive actions of groups or individuals. It is for this reason that we call on all men and women of goodwill in Nigeria to join the government to fight what may snowball into a religious or ethnic war on account of the siege.”

    Gombe State Government has evacuated 360 of its citizens studying in various institutions in Mubi, Adamawa, following the killings.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students, accompanied by policemen, arrived at the Ministry for Higher Education headquarters, Gombe, yesterday.

    They later left for their various local government areas.

    The President of Gombe State Students Association, Federal Polytechnic Mubi chapter, Mr Emmanuel Abel, told NAN that the problem started 10 p.m. on Oct. 1.

    He said students were reading in the classrooms when they heard gunshots at Students off-Campus Villa (Hostel) in Tudun Wada area of the town.

    Abel added that two students of Gombe State origin were among the dead, adding that one sustained serious injuries.

    Three other students, Matthew Ilifu, Dije Mamman and Albert Samuel, who also narrated their experiences during the attack, in separate interviews with NAN, urged the government to find lasting solution to the security challenges in the country.