The Nation Newspaper

Tag: kills

  • Police armoured vehicle kills two siblings

    Police armoured vehicle kills two siblings

    There was civil unrest in Ilesa, Osun State, yesterday, following the killing of two siblings by a  policeman driving an Armour Personnel Carrier (APC.)

    It was gathered that the policeman lost control of the APC and rammed into the two kids, who were playing in front of their parents’ house at Egbedi in Ilesa-West Local Government Area.

    The policeman, who was allegedly drunk, was said to have hit an electric pole before hitting  Sade (five) and Anu (three)

    After the incident, the policeman allegedly escaped.

    An eyewitness account said some commercial motorcyclists pursued him but could not catch up with him.

    Angered by the incident, a mob marched on the ‘A’ Division Police Station at Ayeso, where all the police operational vehicles parked in the station were vandalised.

    The policemen on duty were said to have fired several tear gas canisters and shot into the air to scare the mob but the  mob was not deterred.

    The distressed father, who returned from the farm to received the sad news, was said to have gone to the police station to report the incident.

    The father could not even in company of his lawyer  secure the release of the bodies, which were still in police custody.

    Police spokesperson Mrs. Folasade Odoro described the incident as an accident.

    According to her, the policeman driving the APC lost control and hit an electric pole, which  electrocuted the kids.

    Describing the incident as unfortunate, Mrs. Odoro said all operational vehicles in the station, private cars and police quarters were vandalised by the mob.

    Appealing to the residents to remain calm, she assured that the matter would be investigated and the culprits punished.

  • Fashion designer kills colleague in Umuahia

    A fashion designer, John Ifeanyi has killed his colleague, Tony Kalu, with a scissors in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

    Ifeanyi accused Tony of not partaking in the weekly clean- up, an allegation Tony refuted. This led to the exchange of words and near fistcuffs.

    According to an eyewitness, Ifeanyi, with a pair of scissors, stabbed Tony in the neck.

    Ifeanyi attempted to run after stabbing Tony but shouts by neighbours drew the attention of a passing police patrol team, which arrested him.

    Police spokesman Ezekiel Onyeke confirmed the incident. He said investigation had begun.

  • Explosion kills eight in Jos

    Explosion kills eight in Jos

    101 others hospitalised

    A chlorine cylinder belonging to the Plateau State government exploded yesterday at the Lamingo water dam in Jos, leaving eight people dead.

    The victims had inhaled the poisonous gas emitted by the explosion.

    Chlorine is used in treating water for human consumption.

    Over a hundred other people who inhaled the gas however escaped death but were rushed to OLA Hospital, Evangel Hospital  (Jankwano), Plateau Specialist Hospital and Air Force Hospital for treatment.

    The Director of press and public affairs to Governor Simeon Lalong, Samuel Nanle confirmed the incident.

    He said some of those taken to the hospital had been discharged, adding that the contamination had been contained and “does not affect the water which has been supplied to public mains; water from the public mains is safe for consumption and is not affected in anyway by the Arial contamination of Chlorine from the exploded cylinder.”

    Government commiserated with the families of the victims and “has taken immediate measures to address the issues of expired components of the Treatment Plant and to guard against future reoccurrence of this unfortunate incidence”

    Deputy Governor Prof. Sunny Tyoden led a government delegation to see those receiving treatment on account of the explosion and promised them assistance in settling their hospital bills.

    He also visited the water treatment plant where the explosion occurred. He was accompanied by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Peter Azi, Chief of Staff  Government  House, John Dafan, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Water Resources Hanatu Dantong and Commissioner of Police Nasiru Oki.

    The deputy governor condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in the incidence and cautioned the general public against building residential houses close to industrial areas to avoid such casualties on human lives.

     

  • Gas explosion kills 5 in Suleja

    The police on Friday confirmed the death of five persons during explosion at a gas station in Suleja, Niger state.

    Police Area Commander, Suleja, Mr Abubakar Yahaya, confirmed the death in an interview with news men. He said the police were immediately deployed to the scene to safeguard further loss of lives and property.

    “Some staff of the company said three staff and two customers lost their lives, while those injured were rushed to Sabon Wuse General Hospital.”

    The Medical Director of the Suleja General Hospital, Dr Adedokun Abdulaziz, also confirms that two people sustained high degree burns, and were referred to a specialised hospital in Zaria.

    Eligibility: Court upholds Sen. Dariye’s election as PDP candidate

    A Jos Federal High Court yesterday upheld the participation and election of Sen. Joshua Dariye as the PDP candidate for Plateau Central Senatorial District in the Dec. 7 party primaries.

    The eligibility of Dariye in taking part in the PDP senatorial primaries held in Pankshin, had been challenged by Mr Alexander Mwolwus, the former Special Adviser (SA) to former governor Jonah Jang. Dariye had left Labour Party (LP) and joined PDP where he won the primaries after beating five other aspirants, including Mwolwus.

    In his affidavit, through his counsel, J.S. Iliya, Mwolwus prayed the court to quash the election of Dariye at the primaries on the ground that he was not formally re-absorbed but was granted waiver by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.

    According to him, the state party leadership did not recognise Dariye as a member of the party until the waiver that came shortly before the primaries.

    But Dariye through his counsel, Mr Garba Pwul (SAN), had asked the court to strike out the case for lack of merit, arguing that only a political party has the power to choose its candidates for any election.

    Justice Ambrose Allagoa, in his judgment, said after careful consideration of the arguments put by the counsels in the case, faulted the approach of Mwolwus to the case.

    “The Plaintiff didn’t approach or exhaust the internal mechanism of the party before challenging the election of the defendant (Dariye) in court,” he said.

    He said that by Section 21 (6) the power to choose a candidate for any election rest only with the political party and not an individual; therefore the plaintiff has failed to prove his case.

    Allagoah then declared that “the case is hereby dismissed for lack of merit’’.

    Speaking shortly after the judgment, Pwul described the verdict as a victory to democracy as “it is a thought judgment brilliantly passed’’.

    Iliya in his response said that they would study the judgement closely before making a reaction.

  • Suicide bomber kills six at Borno village wedding

    Suicide bomber kills six at Borno village wedding

    The Police Commissioner in Borno State, Mr Aderemi Opadokun, has confirmed the killing of six people by a suicide bomber in Borno State.

    According to him, the  bomber struck at a wedding  venue  in Tashan Alade in the Hawul Local Government Area.

    Hawul, which is about 215 kilometres from Maiduguri,   has suffered a series of Boko Haram attacks in recent time.

    CP Opadokun also said that  30 people were  injured during the attack and had been hospitalized.

    His words: “I  confirm the report on an alleged suicide bombing in Tashan Alade in the Hawul Local Government Area. The incident was reported to be at a wedding.

    “Currently, six persons, all males, whose identities are unknown, were confirmed dead, while 30 others were injured,” he said.

    He added  that the police had commenced investigation into the issue.

  • Man, 27, ‘kills’ 44-year-old friend

    A 27-year-old man, Fatai Afobaje, was yesterday arraigned before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly killing his friend and dismembering his body.

    Afobaje, who resides at 332, Oko Agbonla Irese Village in Magbon, a suburb of Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder.

    The Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Elizabeth Ekuma, said the offence was committed on February 13 in Afobaje’s residence.

    She said Afobaje killed one Rafiu Sulaiman, 44, his close friend, who visited him.

    Ekuma said the accused cut-off his friend’s head and hands of with a knife.

    “The victim had gone to visit his friend and on getting there, the security man at the gate allegedly charmed Sulaiman which rendered him unconscious.

    “Sulaiman was carried into the room where Afobaje chopped off his head and hands before he buried his trunk,’’ Ekuma said.

    He said when some policemen searched the house, the found the chopped-off parts where they were buried.

    She said the widow identified her husband when she saw his wedding ring on one of his chopped-off fingers inside a calabash in Afobaje’s home.

    Magistrate A.O. Komolafe ordered the accused remanded in Ikoyi Prisons pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

    The case has been adjourned to June 22.

     

  • Suspected assassin kills NBA chair in Delta

    •It was a clear case of assassination –Warri NBA 

    The chairman of the Ughelli branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Austin Icheghe, was Thursday night killed by an unknown gunman.

    Icheghe, it was gathered, was shot to death at about 9pm Thursday night, at his residence on 14, Ekredjebor Street, Ughelli town in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State by a lone gunman.

    Meanwhile, the Warri branch of the NBA has alleged that the killing of their colleague was a pure case of assassination, charging security agencies to successfully pursue the case, so as to nip in the bud the rising spate of fatal attacks on lawyers in the state now.

    The Nation gathered that the killer attacked Icheghe in the presence of his immediate family, shooting him in the face.

    Relating the ugly incident, a niece of the Icheghe, Egunor Uviesa, said he was killed, just as he was alighting from his car on his way back home from work.

    “As soon as he came down from his vehicle, they accosted him, and shot him on the head with the bullet damaging part of his face. He was immediately rushed to a private clinic here in Ughelli were he was confirmed dead,” Uviesa said.

    Speaking on the incident, the chairman of the Warri branch of the NBA, John Aikpokpo-Martins, condemned the brutal murder of his counterpart, describing it as a murder too many.

    Aikpokpo-Martins also noted that the fact that he was attacked by a lone gunman further confirmed that the killing was not armed robbery, but an assassination, charging security agencies to step up their game and arrest the rising risk to lawyers in the state.

    “We condemn it in very strong terms and call on the police and other security agencies to unravel the perpetrators of the crime and bring them to Justice. This brings to the fore what we said the other time that the killing of lawyers without proper investigation will embolden other people to attack lawyers. This is why there’s need that this particular act must be investigated, and in fact, the last one we complained about; the Dafiaghor case, must also be investigated so that this new attitude could be nipped in the bud.

    “One thing is evident in his death, he was killed by a lone gunman, so it is an assassination, not a robbery and lawyers we don’t do any other thing except to talk and defend other people’s rights, but some people don’t like that,” he said.

    Also confirming the incident on phone, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta state police command, Celestina Kalu (DSP), told The Nation that the matter had been taken up by the police and was being investigated.

    “He was murdered by unknown gunmen last night. No clue, no details yet, it’s still under investigation, we are trying to unravel i,”, Kalu said.

  • Rainstorm kills four-yr-old pupil

    Tragedy struck in Ilara near Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government  area of Ogun State, on Monday March 9, 2015, when a four- year-old pupil, Fabian Lawal, died during a rainstorm that ravaged the Local Government Primary School in the village.

    Three teachers were injured as teachers and pupils  scampered  to safety.

    The roofs of some of the school buildings were destroyed.

    Fabian was said to have fallen down and sustained injuries during a pandemonium that broke out during  the heavy rainfall.

    Some of the school buildings which were built in 1957, according to sources, had become dilapidated with no effort in sight   to rehabilitate them.

    Parents and sympathizers who thronged  the school shortly after the rain said the scene was strewn with sandals, bags and books belonging to the  pupils.

    An eyewitness who asked not to be named said: “It was during the intensity of the rainstorm that Fabian fell down and sustained injuries. Some of the teachers around tried to salvage her life but the little girl died before she could be taken to a hospital.”

    It was gathered that the injured teachers  were  taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, Sagamu, for treatment.

    “Some roofing sheets of the school building crashed on the heads of  teachers. It would have been more disastrous if all the pupils had sought refuge in the classroom where the teachers were injured,” the eyewitness said.

    “Some of the pupils who fled  from the school in the thick of the incident were the ones who called   the villagers out for help when the situation became unbearable.”

    A community leader who also asked not to be named  pleaded with the  State government to come to the aid of the school by rehabilitating the dilapidated classrooms in the school.

    He said: “The damage would not have been much if the deplorable school buildings had been fixed before now. I want to therefore call on our action governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun to fix the damaged structures in the school.”

    Confirming the incident via  a text message, the spokesman for the  Ogun Police Command, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “The roof of the building was removed by wind during a rainfall and it fell on some people. One person was confirmed dead while some were injured.”

  • Boko Haram kills 68 in Borno village

    Boko Haram kills 68 in Borno village

    Suspected Boko Haram gunmen shot dead and slit the throats of 68 people — including children — in an attack on a village in Borno state, according to survivors and vigilante sources, the CNN reported yesterday.

    The attackers then burnt down the entire village of Njaba, the sources said.

    Dozens of gunmen invaded the remote northeastern village before dawn on Tuesday, singling out boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 19 and killing them alongside their parents, witnesses said.

    Njaba village lies about 65 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Karimu Lawani, who escaped to Maiduguri after hiding with eight other people behind the barn of a neighbor, said the attackers came into the village at around 5 a.m.

    “They shot dead anyone that tried to flee but spared children younger than 13 years old,” Lawani said.

    He and other survivors counted the victims of the massacre before leaving the village some hours later.

    His account was supported by Faltama Bisika, 62, who lost four grandchildren in the attack.

    “They hurled petrol bombs into homes and opened fire on anyone trying to flee. They particularly targeted teenagers and elderly people,” Bisika said.

    News of the attack was slow to emerge due to lack of communication following destruction of cell phone towers in the region in previous Boko Haram attacks.

    “I only got information of the attack on my village last night,” said a civilian vigilante from Njaba who asked not to be named. The vigilante said his father was among those killed.

    The vigilante said he left Njaba for Maiduguri in June to join others fighting against the Islamist radical group.

    He said he believes the attackers came from Gwoza — a town on Nigeria’s mountainous border with Cameroon that Boko Haram seized last June — because Njaba “lies on the route to Gwoza from Maiduguri.”

  • Boko Haram kills village leader, 14 others in Borno

    Boko Haram gunmen killed 15 people including a village leader near Maiduguri yesterday just a few hours before President Goodluck Jonathan’s arrival in the Borno State capital to canvass votes ahead of next month’s elections.

    “The terrorists attacked Kambari village which is less than five kilometres to Maiduguri around 5:00 am. They killed 15 people and set the entire hamlet ablaze,” security sources said.

    “After fruitless efforts to enter Maiduguri through Konduga without success, the terrorists took a different route and attacked Kambari,” one of the sources said.

    A woman from the village, who simply gave her name as Kyallu, said four of her children were among the dead.

    “They killed four of my grown-up children when they attacked our village about the time for the morning prayers,” Kyallu, who is now in Maiduguri, told AFP.

    “They shot my children dead without any prompting. I had to leave the village with my grandchildren because we have lost our houses,” she said.

    “The insurgents also killed our village head. In fact, I counted 15 dead bodies,” she said.

    Security in the city was beefed up ahead of yesterday’s visit of the president.