The Nation Newspaper

Tag: police arrest

  • Police arrest 1,000 fake voters in Anambra

    The police in Anambra State yesterday arrested over 1,000 non-indigenes, who were participating in the voter revalidation at Igbariam, Anambra East Local Government Area.

    Policemen from Otuocha zone swooped on them, impounding vehicles, including three luxury buses owned by GUO and the Young Shall Grow.

    Police spokesman Emeka Chukwuemeka said the Otuocha zone has not filed in any report but police sources said the Commissioner of Police, Bala Nassarawa, has been briefed as well as the Director of the State Security Service (SSS).

    It was gathered that the “voters” were brought in from Jos, Plateau State, Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.

    The suspects confessed they were brought in by supporters of an aspirant, who promised them N5,000 once they were registered.

    A trader from Jos, Bonaventure Ofiaeli, said although he is from Ozubulu, he came to register at Igbariam in Anambra East.

    He said: “I didn’t know anybody in the bus but my friend. Others can answer for themselves. Some came from Lagos and others from Nnewi but I and many of these people came from Jos.

    “We came because they told us that this aspirant would sponsor our trip home to get our voter card. When we arrived, the bus dropped us at Igbariam, opposite the Igwe’s palace. I don’t know the name of the Igwe.

    “I have not voted before that was why I came. I can only speak for myself and my friend.

    “We arrived on Friday and there were too many people trying to register. The queue was too long and we could not make it so I told my friend that we had to go before we were arrested.

    “I didn’t know that it was going to turn out this way because there were so many people. We were over 500 people this morning struggling to register.

    Resident Officer 1 and 2 at the Ofala polling unit 013, Ward 5 Igbariam, Olawale Alausa from Lagos State and Bassey Joseph from Akwa Ibom State corroborated the suspect’s story.

    Alausa said: “All these problems developed yesterday. Our job is to explain to them the implication of multiple registration but the crowd that turned up was something else.

    “There were a lot of people but we didn’t know where they came from because that was not part of our brief.

    “It was only when we were arrested and I came out that I saw these luxury buses and mini buses.”

    Chairman of Anambra East Local Government Chinedu Obidigwe, who invited the police, said the youths of Igbariam informed him that there were lots of strange faces in their community.

    He said: “I drove to the scene to get first-hand information. On interrogating the drivers and the people, they confessed they were brought from different parts of the country by an aspirant. They said even their cards were collected from them after registration.

    “I am calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop all these illegal voting and registration, because what happened here is happening in all parts of the state. But nobody is talking. “

    A driver of GUO Luxury bus, Ikechukwu Odi, said his company directed him to Igbariam to drop the people.

    Another driver, Osita Nzeako, said his company sent him on charter from Jos and that was all he knew.

    Three suspects- David Okonkwo an indigene of Obowo in Imo State, Jerome Onwudiwe from Eziowelle, Idemili South and Joseph Oyudo from Nibo, Awka South Local Government- said they were brought from Jos to be registered sponsored by the aspirant.

  • Police arrest 12 robbery suspects

    The Lagos State Police Command said yesterday that it had arrested 12 suspected armed robbers in various parts of the state in the last 10 days. It also said it recovered several arms, ammunition and three stolen vehicles.

    The command’s spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), who spoke in Ikeja, said the suspects were arrested during various robbery operations between July 6 and July 16. Some of their accomplices escaped with bullet wounds.

    Braide said their cases were being investigated at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba.

    She said a team of policemen attached to the Dopemu Division arrested a suspected armed robber with multiple injuries all over his body on July 6, adding that the suspect was in possession of a fabricated metal in form of a pistol.

    Braide said another team of policemen attached to the Onikan Division, posted to the Military Hospital, arrested one suspected armed robber with one locally-made shot gun, two cartridges and an axe on the same day. Another patrol team attached to Elemoro Division arrested two suspects for allegedly robbing a passerby at Ajebo Close, Lakowe, Ibeju-Lekki.

    Braide said other members of the gang fled on sighting the police, abandoning two Toyota Camry Saloon cars marked LSD912AT and LSR389AP.

    She said on July 8, policemen attached to Makinde Division recovered one locally made single-barrel pistol, with one live cartridge inside a commercial Volkswagen Golf Saloon car marked XN17APP. The vehicle was abandoned at Oshodi Motor Park. Nobody was arrested in connection with the case.

    On the same day, Braide said, policemen attached to the Ijede Division arrested four suspected cult members, who allegedly stabbed Mr Adeleke Dada of Oyambo Security Company with a broken bottle. She said two locally made pistols, three axes and a Honda car marked LSR417BB were recovered from the suspects.

    Two suspects were arrested by policemen attached to Dolphin Estate Division, who were responding to a distress call from 119A, Etiosa Way, Dolphin Estate.

    Braide said that the suspects had earlier robbed Seata Ukpemo on July 16, adding that one double-edged dagger, two locally made pistols and 10 live cartridges were recovered from them. She said two suspects were also arrested by policemen attached to Igando Division on July 16.

  • Police arrest 201 suspected kidnappers

    The Akwa Ibom State Police Command yesterday said it arrested 201 persons suspected to be kidnappers, armed robbers and cultists within the last six months.

    The Commissioner of Police, Umar Gwadabe, gave the figure while briefing reporters at the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan-Abia, Uyo.

    Gwadabe said the command also recovered six stolen vehicles from robbers and five laptop computers belonging to the University of Uyo from Sifonabasi Etim, a native of Idoro village, Uyo.

    According to the police chief, two suspects, Sunday Egba of Idum-Mbube village, Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State and Samuel Sampson of Ndiya village, Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State were arrested with three Toyota Camry with multiple registration numbers.

    Gwadabe said 32 unregistered motorcycles suspected to have been stolen were recovered by the command within the last six months.

    Arms and ammunition recovered are: one AK-47 rifle; five AK-47 rifle magazines; 12 locally made pistols; three locally made single barrel guns; one English made double barrel gun and two toy guns.

    Others are 101 rounds of 7.2mm live ammunition; 60 rounds of 7.62 live ammunition; five rounds of 9.mm live ammunition and 179 catridges.

    Gwadabe told reporters that the command rescued persons falsely accused of witchcraft.

    His word: “On several occasions, our men were called upon to rescue vulnerable persons like women, children and the elderly, who were falsely accused of being witches, and who were tortured .

    “A case was the rescue of two male children– Mmenyene (nine) and Samuel (six), who were branded as wizards in a village called Ikot Obio Asanga.

    “They were rescued in a toilet having been locked up for 14 days without food and water.

    “This followed a so-called prophesy that the children were wizards and responsible for the misfortune that had befallen the family. Those involved, the father and a prophetess have been charged to court.”

  • Police arrest suspected killer of Nigerian in New York

    Police arrest suspected killer of Nigerian in New York

    The police in New York, the United States (US), on Tuesday arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of a Nigerian cab driver in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn in downtown New York, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    Uro Ama Orji, 54, from Ebonyi State, was stabbed in the eye with an umbrella on June 13 by one of the two passengers he was carrying.

    The suspect was seen, through security camera, running from the scene of the incident.

    The late Orji was taken to the Brookdale Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

    The suspect, identified as Shamel Allen, 28, of Brooklyn, was charged with manslaughter and possession of weapon.

    He was accused of the stabbing Orji inside a cab in Brownsville on June 13.

    Orji’s sister-in-law, Mrs Chinedum Agwu, described the deceased as “a hard-working Nigerian” who had been driving cab since he moved to Brooklyn 10 years ago.

  • Police arrest three kidnap suspects

    Three suspected kidnappers were at the weekend arrested by the police in Enugu.

    The trio gave their names as Ikechukwu Echeruo,Okomma Uchama and Ebuka Omenyi.

    Police spokesman Ebere Amaraizu said the suspects had on April 25 allegedly kidnapped Okwudili Maduabuchi, a cab driver.

    The suspect was reportdely taken to a bush at Iwolo Oghe in Ezeagu Local Government.

    Villagers, however, pursued the hoodlums and the suspects were arrested.

    Amaraizu said they are helping police in their investigations.

  • Railway police arrest 20 for hanging

    No fewer than 20 passengers caught hanging on train rooftops have been arrested by policemen attached to the Railway Police Command at the Ikeja Railway Station.

    The arrest followed the command’s renewed onslaught on illegal passengers who were in the habit of hanging on train roof top to evade payment of fares.

    But the arrest did not go without any resistance as these illegal passengers began hauling dangerous weapons such as sticks, broken bottles, and stones at the policemen.

    Reports said two persons died in the ensuing pandemonium. One of them was passenger who fell off one of the coaches and was crushed to death; the other was said to be a passerby pregnant woman who was hit by missiles.

    However, the Railway’s Deputy Director of Public Relations, Mr David Ndanusa Ndakotsu, denied the death report, sasying: “Let anyone claiming there were fatalities come with prove of such. There was nothing of such; no one died in the incident.”

    Ndakotsu said about 20 people arrested by the Railway Police Command (RPC), were assisting the police in their investigations, adding that they would be charged to court after conclusion of investigations.

    He said: “Violence broke out when the people, sensing their game was up, began to haul dangerous weapons including broken bottles, stones sticks and other missiles against the policemen to prevent their arrest, but they were soon overpowered and were subsequently arrested by the policemen.”

    Ndakotsu said the Tuesday incident was confirmed by the Command’s Commissioner, who ensured that the incident did not escalate.

    He said the corporation would continue with aggressive enlightenment campaign aimed at reducing such acts.

    The leadership of the corporation and the state government, he said, had entered into a collaboration that would see the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), joining the railway police in securing all railway stations in the state.

    Ndakotsu said the police command would henceforth mount surveillance at major rail stations between the Iddo Terminus and Ijoko, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State; Ikeja, Mushin, PWD and Iju, a Lagos suburb.

    He urged commuters patronising the train Mass Transit Service (MTS) to be law-abiding by purchasing appropriate tickets, adding that the corporation would fish out undesirable elements and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the land.

  • Police arrest 20 expectant teens in Anambra

    The police in Anambra State yesterday arrested 20 expectant teenagers at the Missionaries of Charity compassionate home in Fegge, Onitsha.

    The girls, whose ages ranged from 15 to 30 years, were taken to the Model Motherless Babies’ Home, Awka.

    The police said they were invited to the home by a girl, Jacinta, who alleged that her child was sold by the home.

    But the government said the home is registered and performing legal functions assigned to it.

    Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Henrietta Agbata described the arrest as unwarranted.

    She said the police should have reported to the ministry to know the status of the home rather than the embarrassment it has caused the home, the ministry and the Catholic Church.

    “The home is registered and its activities are not in doubt. It doesn’t collect money from anybody to foster a child.

    “It is fighting abortion by assisting families with pregnant teenage girls. We can vouch for them.

    “However, there may be a case of one person which was not properly handled but that should not warrant arresting the girls and closing the home.”

    It was gathered that Jacinta came into the home last July and lied to the nuns in charge.

    A source said: “She was delivered of her baby in September and absconded immediately.

    “She returned months later to collect the baby but was told the home only delivers babies but does not keep them.

    “Rather than wait for the next course of action, she went to the police who came and arrested the management of the home and the girls.

    “When we got to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the commissioner was embarrassed and told the police so.

    “The police dumped the girls at the Model Motherless Babies Home in Awka without provision for what they will eat or where to sleep.

    The church is very embarrassed by this incident.

    “The girls’ parents are aware that their children are at the home.

    “This home does not collect any money for the adoption process, because many families have benefited from the process.

    “The home is known for assisting teenagers come out of the shame of unwanted pregnancies rather than resorting to abortion.”

    The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Rev Valerian Okeke, described the incident as an embarrassment to the church.