The Nation Newspaper

Tag: mob

  • Mob beats up suspected child thief

    Mob beats up suspected child thief

    •Police deny incident

    A woman was yesterday mobbed in Okokomaiko, Lagos for allegedly attempting to kidnap a boy being taken to school by his father.

    But the police denied the incident, saying nothing of the sort happened.

    The woman, who was beaten to a pulp and a tyre thrown round her waist, was caught at Kembiri Road in Okokomaiko.

    Residents claimed that over 20 children have gone missing in the area so far this year.

    The suspect, it was learnt, was the second woman to have been caught in the area in one week.

    The woman, who was wandering around the street, allegedly lured her victim with sweet.

    An eyewitness, who gave his name as Okechukwu, said the woman was running away with the boy when his father realised something was amiss.

    He said: “She was just wandering on the road in the morning, looking for a target. So, a man was taking his son to school. The man was in front while the son was behind him. Then, the woman gave the boy sweet, which he ate. Then, she started taking him to the opposite direction and the next thing she carried him and started running. People noticed what happened when the man turned and did not see his son. He now saw the woman running away with a child and raised the alarm. That was how she was chased and caught. When they were beating her, she confessed that she came from Calabar in Cross River State and that she has sold four of her own children. People were angry and brought tyres to burn her but policemen came and rescued her. They took her to Okoko Police Station. That was how she was saved from death.”

    But, police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP), said the only incident she was aware of happened last Wednesday, adding that the suspect was mentally unstable.

    “Nothing like that happened today (yesterday). The one I know of is that of last week. And that woman looks mentally sick. She was not caught with any child. She is currently at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti, Yaba.”

  • Mob storms PDP hqtrs

    Mob storms PDP hqtrs

    The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated yesterday as an army of angry youths stormed the party’s headquarters.

    Armed with placards and leafy tree branches, the youths, who arrived at the secretariat as early as 7am, castigated “ousted” party chair Ali Modu Sheriff.

    Sheriff, who stayed briefly in his office on Tuesday, did not show up at the secretariat yesterday. He was away in Maiduguri, honouring an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invitation.

    National Secretary Adewale Oladipo and sacked National Auditor Adewole Adeyanju were harassed by the mob.

    Oladipo and Adeyanju have rejected their sack, insisting that their tenure remains valid till 2017.

    Oladipo replaced Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as National Secretary in 2013 when the latter was forced out in an internal power play.

    Adeyanju similarly benefited from the sack of his predecessor, Mr. Bode Mustapha, who was eased out in similar circumstances at about the same time.

    They have both joined Sheriff in a plethora of litigations seeking to validate their positions through the courts.

    Encircled by the youths, Oladipo pleaded in a subdued voice to be allowed to leave the premises unharmed. He was visibly shaken.

    “Please, allow me to go. I will not come back again,” he pleaded amid a cacophony of denunciatory remarks from the youths.

    After being left off the hook, Oladipo scurried away to enter his car parked at a safe distance from the secretariat building.

    Apparently too frightened to engage the youths in any dialogue, Adeyanju escaped through a back gate, abandoning his car.

    Some of the youths attempted to vandalise his blue coloured Toyota Camry, but security operatives saved the situation.

    The car was still at the parking lot as at 4. 35pm.

    One of the party’s internal security operatives told our correspondent that he had made several calls to Adeyanju, asking him to send his driver to fetch the car but the politician simply ignored his entreaties.

    After chasing Oladipo and Adeyanju away, the mob moved to the main reception where about 12 hefty men in black suits had taken position since Monday.

    Party sources said the men were brought in by a controversial Anambra-based PDP chieftain known for his proclivity for bare knuckle approach to power struggle.

    The men had been providing security for Sheriff since he seized the secretariat on Monday. But they were no match for the rampaging youths who marched them out of the secretariat.

    Quietly, the black suited chaps simply grabbed their luggage and filed out of the building one after the other, with the youths ordering them not to return to the secretariat.

    The leader of the protesting youths, Comrade Franklin Edele, described Sheriff as one of the longest-serving members of the opposition in national politics and that he is not known to the PDP.

    Edele, who claimed to be the National President of a new group, the PDP National Rebirth Group, said Sheriff would not be allowed to destroy the party.

    “We won’t allow anybody to hijack the PDP. Sheriff must go. We must do everything democratically possible to win the Edo governorship election. Sheriff was planted by the APC into the PDP. He came in wrongly and he has been shown the way out,” he said.

    The protest recorded no human casualty and no property was damaged. After the dust had settled, the youths ordered secretariat staff out of the premises.

    They locked the main entrance and called the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin, on the telephone.

    Jibrin appeared at the secretariat at about 3.18pm, collected the keys and left immediately.

    Policemen and journalists covering the party were allowed to remain  at the secretariat.

    The protest came ahead of a meeting of key party organs and other stakeholders scheduled to hold in Abuja last night to deliberate on the seizure of the secretariat by Sheriff.

    Expected at the meeting were the party’s governors, members of the BoT, the National Assembly Caucus and other stakeholders.

    Some placard-carrying protesters, who support Sheriff, stormed the secretariat at 5.15 pm after the pro Makarfi protesters had left. They broke the lock on the main gate and trooped into the facility, singing in praise of Sheriff.

  • Gunman escaped lynching in Edo

    A member of a four-man armed gang who attacked and stabbed a pharmacist in Benin City was beaten to coma by a mob.

    The pharmacist whose names could not be ascertain as at press time was stabbed severally in the stomach.

    It was gathered that the attackers stormed the pharmacist shop along Wire Road, opposite Emotan College, in an Audi 80 car at about 6:25pm and ran away after the attack but left one of their member behind.

    The shots fired by the attackers attracted youths in the area to the scene.

    One of the suspect who was left behind attempted to scare the youths away by brandishing a shot gun but the gun refused to fire.

    He was said to have scaled the perimeter fence of Emotan College but the youths was pursued and caught him.

    The youths beat him to coma until policemen from Obi market police division arrived and saved the suspect from being killed.

    It could not however be ascertained whether it was a case of robbery or assassination as the pharmacist was rushed to a nearby hospital.

    Attempt to obtain comment from the spokesman of the Edo Police Command, DSP Osifo Abiodun, failed.

  • Pastor nearly mobbed for hawking fried meat in Akure

    Pastor nearly mobbed for hawking fried meat in Akure

    A self acclaimed Pastor, Mr. Adeniyi Johnson was escaped from being nearly lynched to death Thursday by residents of Ijomu area in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

    Johnson, who claimed to be a pastor at one popular Pentecostal Church in the state, was mobbed for allegedly hawking fried meat and fetish items in bag.

    It was gathered the pastor was begging the people to come and eat with him.

    The action was said to have aroused curiosity on the part of the people ‎who immediately apprehended him.

    It was further gathered that, while some suggest instant judgment for him on the basis of his action others pleaded that he should be taking to the Deji’s palace to explain his mission with the meat.

    But Johnson told the crowd that he has just been transferred to Ipogun branch of the church from Iju/Ita-Ogbolu and he was directed to do this by the Holy Spirit.

    At the palace, security agents fought hard to prevent an already converged crowd from lynching Johnson as he recounted his mission in Yoruba while being quizzed by place chiefs.

    While explaining what led him to the action, Johnson said he was divinely instructed to go and share the meat to save his dying son.

    ‎He appealed to the people to allowed him to go and continue what he called his end time mission based on revelation from God.

    Thereafter, he was whisked away to the Area Command headquarters of the police for further interrogation.

    At the state headquarters of the winners chapel in Akure, a senior pastor who spoke off record said Johnson was sacked as a Pastor of one of its local branches about a month ago to allow his family treat him after showing signs of insanity ‎.

    Also at the Police Area Command, a senior officer who spoke under the condition of anonymity confirmed that some pastors from the church have come to attest that pastor Johnson has mental issues.

    The officer said the police is now awaiting his family to come with his medical record on his mental state before he can be possibly released to them.

     

     

  • Mob kills suspected armed robber in Minna

    Police threaten to charge masterminds with homicide

    A notorious robbery suspect believed to have been terrorising Shango suburb of Minna, Niger State for long was on Thursday night beaten to death by an angry mob.

    The 30 years old suspect, who was identified as Ali, was said to have been caught during one of his operations.

    Residents of Shango sai Ali and other members of his gang had been terrorising the area and giving the residents sleepless nights for a long time.

    Luck however ran out on him when some angry residents caught him and decided to take the law into their hands, beating him to death while on a robbery mission with a member of his gang who escaped.

    Residents of the area, who saw his corpse tied to an electric pole early the following morning beside Shango Primary School, alerted the police who arrived the scene and carried the body away.

    Gambo Musa, a resident of the area, said: “We saw his body tied to the pole when we came to pray at 5:30 am. We can now sleep peacefully with our eyes at least closed. “Ali has been a problem to us for some time. Now we can rest from his activities with his gang.”

    When contacted, the Police Public Relation Officer, Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident, saying Ali, regarded as a hardened armed robber, was killed by some residents of the area who decided to take the law into their hands.

    He said: “The Police discovered those that masterminded the killing of the suspected armed robber during a house to house investigation. As I am talking to you, we have been able to ascertain who the ring leader is. “It is a case of homicide and the Police is presently after them. Even though it is a case of armed robbery, nobody is allowed to take the law into his or her hand. That should be left for the law enforcement agents.”

  • Woman accused of changing to cat escapes mob attack

    Woman accused of changing to cat escapes mob attack

    There was pandemonium in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State on Wednesday when a mysterious cat was said to have turned into an old woman.

    The incident occurred at No 9, Kogberegbe Street in the Elliot area of Iju Ishaga.

    Residents pushed and shoved themselves to catch a glimpse of the woman.

    Our correspondent who was at the scene reported that the woman would have been lynched but for the timely arrival of men of Red House Police Division, Iju Ishaga, who rescued her from the mob.

    Policemen, however, had a hectic time containing the angry mob who insisted on beating the woman to death on allegation of witchcraft.

    It was learnt that a mysterious cat had been sneaking into a passage in the building at night lately.

    The cry of the mysterious cat, it was learnt, has created fear as the occupants made fruitless search for its whereabouts in the building.

    Our correspondent gathered from some of the occupants of the building that the cat allegedly turned into a woman at about 2 am when one of the tenants noticed its strange movement behind his windows.

    One of the occupants, who asked not to be named, said: “A mysterious cat has been disturbing our peace in this building for some weeks now. It would sneak into the building in the night and shatter our peaceful rest until the wee hours of today when God finally exposed it.

    “I was inside my apartment at about 2 am when I noticed the movement of the cat behind my window. “I summoned courage to flash a torch at it and it suddenly turned into an old woman. She confronted me and asked me to leave her alone in my own interest. “She said she was returning from a trip to London and had come for a naming ceremony in a nearby church. I raised the alarm that attracted neighbours.”

    Another resident, who identified herself simply as Olajumoke, described the woman’s presence in the building as suspicious.

    She said: ”The woman’s presence in the building leaves room for suspicion because she ought not have been able to find her way into the particular place she was found inside the because it was locked.”

    The suspect was said to have been transferred to the Area G Command, Ogba, Ikeja.

  • Mob kill notorious armed robber in Minna

    Mob kill notorious armed robber in Minna

    A notorious armed robber skilled in terrorising Shango, a suburb of Minna, the Niger State Capital was on Thursday night beaten to death by angry mob.

    The 30 years old armed robber who was identified as Ali was said to have been caught during one of his operations.

    Residents of Shango disclosed that Ali and his gang have been terrorizing the area and giving residents sleepless nights for a long time.

    Luck however ran out of Ali when some residents out of anger decided to take the law into their hands, caught and beat him to death when he came to steal alongside a member of his gang who escaped.

    The corpse of the deceased was discovered by the residents of the area early in the morning close to the Shango primary school tied to an electric pole and alerted the police, who arrived the scene and carried the body away.

    Gambo Musa, a resident of the area said, “We saw his body tied to the pole early in the morning, when we came to pray at 5:30am. We can now sleep peacefully with our eyes at least closed. This Ali has been a problem to us for some time now, now we can rest from his activities with his gang.”

    When contacted, the police public Relation Officer, Bala Elkana confirmed the incident saying Ali who was a hardened armed robber was killed by some residents of the area, who took the law into their hands and are currently at large.

    “The Police discovered those that master minded the killing of the notorious armed robber during a house to house investigation. As I am talking to you, we have been able to ascertain who the ring leader is. It is a case of Homicide and the Police is presently after them. Even though, it is a case of armed robbery, nobody is allowed to take laws into his or her hand, it should be left for the law enforcement agency.”

  • Motor-Cycle robber burnt to death In Akwa Ibom

    Tragedy struck Sunday at Obio Ibet Nkanika village in Oruk Anam local government, Akwa Ibom State, as angry mob set ablaze a motor-cycle thief.

    The alleged thief, who was in company of his gang, specializes in snatching of motor-cycles from residents of Abak and Oruk Anam local government areas.

    They carried out the act at gun-point in Obio Ibet Nkanika village in Oruk Anam local government.

    They were, however, given a hot chase and nemesis caught up with him in Obio Ndot, near Abak when he was arrested with the motor-cycle, while his other gang member who was with gun escaped.

    The thief who could not be identified before he was beaten to death by angry mob and then set ablaze before police could intervene, had confessed committing the crime.

    The thief after being beaten to a pulp, tyre hung on him and petrol poured, was set ablaze by angry mob.

    Interesting, where he was set ablaze is closed to the Abak High Court complex and 500 metres to the Abak Divisional Police Headquarters.

    The Nation gathered that there has been resurgence in snatching of motor-cycles especially Ladys’ bike in Abak and its envious.

    It was further gathered that two motor-cycles have been snatched in Obio Ndot community within one week before Sunday’s mob action on the suspect.

    It would be recalled that soldiers had last year in the same Abak rescued another thief who had gone to church to steal a motor-cycle while church service was still ongoing.

    A youth leader in the area who spoke with our correspondent said angry mob took the action to serve as deterrent to gunmen who have made life difficult to residents.

    He said that the youths have no regret taking laws into their hands to set the suspect ablaze, adding that if he had been handed over to the police or other security agents, he would have been set free for him to come back and do the worst.

    The youth leader called on those who engage in such act to have a change of heart, warning that the community will not spare any thief or armed robber.

    Meanwhile, the charred corpse is still lying unburied as at the time of filing this report.

    This, the community said, is posing health hazard to the area.

    In the meantime, the Ministry of Environment has been urged to evaluate the corpse so as not to pose health hazard to residents.

  • Suspected kidnapper burnt to death in Kaduna

    At Barnawa, Kaduna South Local Government area of kaduna State, angry mob, Wednesday burnt to death a suspected kidnapper (identity yet unknown) for allegedly attempting to kidnap a four-year-old boy in the area.

    Eyewitnesses account at the scene of the incident said the suspect had successfully conceded his victim, Almustapha Aruna, in a sack and kept in his tricycle (Keke NAPEP).

    It was further learnt that the boy was shouting from inside the sack which eventually attracted the attention of people in the area and his subsequent interception and questioning.

    The Nation observed that a video had on Tuesday evening gone viral on social media showing two men at Ngwan Sunday, Television garage in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State who were arrested over the same offence even though timely intervention of security men saved them from been lynched.

    The mob who were still angry when The Nation visited the scene of the Wednesday incident said the suspect could not give them any reasonable response including the name of the victim.

    Meanwhile, at the residence of the boy at No 27, Indian road, Barnawa, Kaduna, which is just a stone-throw from LEA primary school where the boy was kidnapped, the boy and his parents were still in huge shock.

    Mother of the child, Hanatu Almustapha, said she was never suspicion that anything of such had happened to her child until sympathisers thronged their apartment congratulating her.

    “My son left for school this morning. I never know that someone was planning to throw us into mourning. I would have waited for him to come back home after the closing hour. But thank God, my son was saved”.

    However, 38-year-old father of Haruna, Haruna Daudu Almustapha, said he couldn’t believe his eyes and ears when people rushed to his house to inform him of how his son luckily rescued.

    When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer in the State, DSP Zubairu Abubakar could not give details of the incident as at time of filling the report.

     

  • Mob set tipper driver, conductor ablaze in Edo

    A tipper driver and his conductor have been burnt to death by a mob after they crushed three persons in an accident.

    Among the three victims was a pregnant woman.

    The incident happened at Osholo village in Estako East local government area.

    Eye witnesses said the tipper was heading towards Weppa community when it ran into a crowd, killed three persons and injured several others.

    The witnesses said the driver and his conductor attempted to take the injured to a nearby hospital and carry the dead when members of Osholo community descended on them.

    Both the driver and the conductor were killed and thrown into their tipper and set it ablaze.

    Peeved by the action of Osholo community, residents of Weppa community where the driver and conductor hail from invaded Osholo and set some houses ablaze.

    An intervention by security agencies prevented the crisis from degenerating to full communal clash.

    State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ejike, who confirmed the incident, said five persons died in the incident.

    Ejike noted that a combined police team was drafted to the area to stop further destruction of properties.

    He described the killing of the driver and conductor as barbaric and added that investigation has commenced into the matter.