The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Police rescue kidnapped monarch in Edo

    The Edo Command of the Nigerian Police Force has confirmed the rescue of Enogie Godwin Aigbe, the abducted Monarch of Ukhiri Community, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the State.

    DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Thursday.

    Nwabuzor said that the monarch was rescued by officers of the Anti- kidnapping and Cybercrime Unit of the command, led by SP Balogun Richard, who acted on intelligence report.

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    He said the monarch was rescued Wednesday night at about 10: 00 p.m. at Upper Sakponba axis of the area.

    NAN reports that Aigbe was abducted by unknown gunmen last Saturday in his palace.

    NAN also reports that the abductors were said to have contacted the family and demanded for a ransom to be paid in foreign currency.

    Nwabuzor, however, said that no ransom was paid before the monarch was rescued.

  • Police warn vehicle owners

    The Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of abandoned vehicles parked at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, to come with their original documents or lose them after 14 days.

    The vehicles are: Toyota Avalon marked AU 108 KTU; Toyota Corolla, APP 834 BR; Nissan Xterra Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), GF 73 EKY; Volkswagen bus, JJJ 639 XD; Honda Accord, AV 279 KWL; Mazda 323, KSF 583 DG; Mazda bus, FKJ 430 XF; Honda Accord, JJJ 973 BX; Toyota Camry LSD, 992 FK; Volkswagen golf, LND 809 CF; Toyota Corolla, EKY 738 CM; Honda Accord, HL 953 EKY; Toyota Highlander, KTU 893 FK; Toyota Corolla car, FST 968 FE; Toyota Corolla, MEK 660 AA; Toyota Corolla car, LSR 74 FL; Lexus RX 330, EKY 246 F; Volkswagen vanagon bus, LND 463 XU; Mazda bus, XQ 888 BDG; Lexus GX 470, KTU 981 DG; Volkswagen bus, XM 604 AKD; Honda Accord, FKJ 945 BJ; Toyota land cruiser, CF 809 LSD; Honda Accord, GZ 838 APP; Mitsubishi Outlander, AAA 989 AY; Lexus RX 350, EKY 529 EP; Daewoo car, KJA 103 EW; Toyota Camry, APP 446 EJ; Toyota Corolla, LSD 39 EF; Toyota Highlander, APP 996 ES; Honda Accord, JJJ 835 EP; Nissan primera car, APP 912 CK; Toyota sienna, ABC 04 AL; Toyota Corolla, SMK 850 FF; Toyota Camry, AAA 405 FL and Toyota sienna, EKY 434 CA.

    Others are Honda Accord, Toyota sienna, Volvo 540, Toyota 4runner SUV and Lexus RX 300, all unregistered.

  • Police: no person died in Oto-Awori clash

    The police have denied reports that two persons died during the clash between loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State House of Assembly member-elect, Surajudeen Tijani Olatunji (aka Emir) and a co-contender and former Chairman of Oto Awori Local Council Development Area, Mr. Kayode Roberts, aka Bibiire.

    Speaking with The Nation on the phone yesterday, spokesman Elkana Bala said peace had been restored to the community.

    He urged residents to go about their activities without fear.

    Shortly after the crisis, the Oloto-in-Council alleged that Alhaji Suleiman Adeshina, aka Jafo, who is the Lagos State Chairman of the Motorcycles Owners and Riders Association (ANACOWA), an arm of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria ((RTEAN), provoked the crisis.

    Bala, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, however, absolved the leadership of ANACOWA of having instigated the riot.

    The story, which was published in yesterday’s edition of The Nation with the headline: ‘Oto-Awori…No longer at ease’ , claimed that two people had died in the crisis, with several others sustaining various degrees of injuries.

    Bala said loyalists of the two groups sustained injuries, adding that the injured had been taken to hospital.

    “I can tell you categorically that nobody died during the clash,” he said.

    Bala went on: “It is not also true that residents of the Oto-Awori community now live in fear. I can tell you that peace has been restored.

    “Members of the same political party were involved in the crisis.

    “The report I have here shows that this (crisis) was a family affair and the leadership of the communities has started addressing it so that lasting peace can be restored.”

    ANACOWA members had staged a road show across Ijanikin and Oto-Awori axis two days to the Governorship and House of Assembly elections to support Olatunji, the financial secretary of ANACOWA. Trouble started when the convoy attempted to pay homage to the Oloto of Oto, Oba Josiah Ilemobade, a move which loyalists of Roberts rejected because of the allegation that Roberts, who is from Oto-Awori, was rigged out of the party’s primaries last October by Olatunji’s supporters.

    Adeshina said the police report had justified ANACOWA’s position that their members were on a peaceful rally to identify with one of their own, and not out to cause crisis.

    “We came to Oto-Awori and Ijanikin to canvass for votes. Do you expect us to fight such people whom we were appealing to for cooperation?

    “Our road show was peaceful. Although the people were the first to attack our members, we kept calm because we did not want the crisis to worsen.”

  • Mob burns suspected criminal to death in Kwara

    Irate mob on Wednesday burnt to death notorious criminal suspect in Oro, Irepodun local government area of Kwara state.

    The suspect was said to have been involved in serial criminal activities in the area.

    It was gathered that the irate mob had besieged the Oro police station early yesterday morning demanding for the release of the alleged criminal simply identified as Femi for “proper judgement”.

    It was also gathered that the suspect had always been in and out of police detention for several criminal offences in the past.

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    Eyewitness accounts said that failure of the police to accede to their demand, resulted in melee.

    The police thereafter shot into the air to scare and disperse the growing number of unruly people.

    The police action, it was gathered, infuriated the people in the community, as they descended on the police station, destroying everything on sight.

    It was reported that the situation became uncontrollable for the policemen as the people later took out the suspect, set him ablaze and also burnt the police station.

    The action of the irate mob, it was gathered, emanated from death a motorcycle operator on Tuesday.

    The sources said that the deceased motorcycle operator (okada) had been tricked by some hoodlums, believed to include Femi, into a bush, collected his motorcycle and later killed him.

    Spokesperson of the state police command, Ajayi Okasanmi could not confirm the incident.

  • Jealous husband kills wife’s lover in Ogun

    Police in Ogun state have arrested a man, Ajibade Olumuyiwa(25), for hacking one Olakitan Balogun, a cobbler to death over suspicion that he was having illicit affairs with his wife.

    The suspect had returned home late last March 16, met the secret lover in the house with his wife, and in a fit of fury attacked him, striking his head repeatedly against the wall until he dropped to the floor dead.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who made this known in a release on Wednesday, stated that the suspect was arrested at about 1:45 am of the day following a distress call to the Divisional Police Officer(DPO), Ajuwon division by residents of Doland Estate that a man has “murdered his wife’s concubine right inside his house.”

    Abimbola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP), added that the Ajunwon DPO, Chief Superintendent of Police(CSP), Afolabi Kazeem, upon receiving the distress call, mobilised detectives to the scene and arrested the suspect.

    The Police Image maker in the state, stated that the suspect claimed to have returned home about 12: 30 midnight on the fateful day and met the deceased inside the house with his wife, and in anger began to beat him, banging his head against the wall until he was dead.

    But the suspect’s wife, Titilayo Olayiwola, denied having any immoral relationship with the victim, alleging that the suspect had abandoned her in the house for the past eight months with an instruction to the gateman to be monitoring and feeding him with information if he sees her with any man.

    She stated further that the victim was a cobbler living within the area and on that day, the deceased’s girlfriend came to pay him visit and since he is not living alone, he decided to bring the girl to a room in the house due to his closeness to the family.

    unfortunately, as soon as the gateman saw him, he alerted the husband, who rushed to the house and descended heavily on the deceased without listening to any explanation from her and the girlfriend to the victim.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, stated that the remains of the victim have been deposited at the general hospital mortuary for post mortem examination while the case has also been transferred to the homicide section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation.

  • Pregnant woman, two kids burnt to ashes in Anambra

    A pregnant woman and her two children have been burnt to ashes in Umuoffor village Okija, Ihiala local government area of Anambra state.

    The deceased, Nwazuru Okeke, and her kids, Chidi Ebube and Makuochukwu, aged two and one year old respectively, were said to be at their residence when the incident occurred.

    The Nation gathered that it was difficult to rescue any one of them as they were said to be trapped in the inferno.

    “We were not able to recover the bodies of any of the victims because before we could gain access to the apartment, they were already burnt to ashes,” a neighbour narrated soberly.

    The state police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed the incident, said the deceased were burnt beyond recognition.

    “There was a fire incident at Umuoffor village Okija at the residence of one Maxwell Okeke.

    “As a result, his pregnant wife named Nwazuru Okeke ‘f’, two children, namely Chidi Ebube Okeke aged two years and Makuo Chukwu Okeke ‘m’ aged one year were trapped in the inferno and burnt beyond recognition.”

    He said the fire was put off following the arrival of police detectives attached to Okija Division to the scene with the assistance of local volunteers in the area.

    Mohammad who noted that the cause of the fire was yet unknown, however, hinted that the Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Ladodo has ordered a full-scale investigation to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident.

  • Police kill four suspected robbers

    The police in Delta State have killed four suspected robbers terrorising Isiokolo in Ethiope East Local Government and its environs, The Nation has learnt.

    Three members of a vigilance group were injured following a gun duel with the police.

    It was gathered that the gang was responsible for the attack on the corpers’ lodge and Bush Bar at Isiokolo a few days ago.

    A source said the suspected robbers were killed on Monday by a team of policemen from Isiokolo Police Division during a gun duel.

    The source said the police had been on the trail of the suspects for weeks.

    It was learnt that the police, who were assisted by a vigilance group, attacked the hoodlums in Kokori town around 1:20 hours, after a robbery in the area.

    The Nation gathered that the police, following a tip-off, swooped on the suspects at the wee hours of the day, but during the battle, three members of the vigilance group were shot by the robbers, thus they sustained injuries.

    Four of the robbers were killed, others escaped, while two locally made guns and 10 cartridges were recovered from them.

    Police spokesman Chuks Oresewezie confirmed the incident.

    He said efforts have been intensified to arrest the fleeing robbers.

     

  • Tricyclist rapes teenager, threatens to kill dad for involving police

    The police in Lagos have arrested a 20-year-old tricyclist John Babalola for allegedly raping a teenager (names withheld).

    Babalola was arrested on March 15 by the Family Support Unit (FSU) at Iju Ishaga Division.

    It was gathered that following the suspect’s arrest, his friends had taken to threatening the survivor and her father.
    According to the Child Protection Network (CPN), the teenager was raped while her mother was terminally ill and the woman passed on Tuesday morning.

    CPN said Babalola’s friends have mobilised to threaten the girl’s father that they will kill him or chase him out of the area.

    “The perpetrator ran away after the act but later surrendered himself at the Iju Police Division where he was detained. We understand that the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) was doing her best to ensure justice.

    “The survivor’s mother passed on today (Tuesday) and despite the family was in mourning, the perpetrator’s friends have mobilised to threaten the girl’s father that they’ll kill him or chase him out of the area.

    “A quick intervention is needed to keep the survivor and her family safe and to ensure that justice is served,” said the group.

    Confirming the incident, police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the case was under investigation, adding that the police would also investigate alleged threats to the survivor, her father by the suspect and his friends.

  • Police arrest three in Ikorodu police station attack

    Three suspects, Ahmed Hassan, Daniel Enyin and Olaniran Alium, have been arrested in connection with attempts to set a police station at Ikorodu ablaze, the command said Tuesday.

    A mob on Monday evening razed a patrol vehicle and moved to burn the Imota Police Division following the alleged killing of a trader by policemen attached to the station.

    It was gathered that the policemen while in raid of criminal hideout in Adamo, had allegedly opened fire indiscriminately killing a woman in the process.

    But police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said it was the suspected criminals that used the victim identified as Hadiyat Sikiru, 18, an SS1 pupil as human shield.

    Stating the command’s account of the incident in a statement, Elkana said: “At about 5:30pm on March 18, following a tip off, a team of policemen on surveillance at Adamo community, Ikorodu raided a den of cultists who specialised in ritual murder and kidnapping for ritual purposes.

    Read Also: Police kill four suspected robbers, injure three in Delta

    “On sighting the police, they opened fire and equally used some of their hostages as human shields. During the operation that lasted for about one hour, two police officers were injured and three suspects were arrested. One Hadiyat Sikiru, 18, an SS1 student was hit by a stray bullet.

    “Attempt by other members of the deadly gang to attack our police station at Imota was met with stiff resistance by the gallant officers on duty.

    “The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Zubairu Muazu has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Criminal Investigation, Panti to take over the case for indept investigation.”

     

     

  • Police confirm five dead in Boko Haram attack on Michika

    The Adamawa State Police Command has confirmed that five residents of Michika died following an attack on a bank in the town on Monday night.

    Against earlier impression that the attack was the usual Boko Haram mission of causing a scare and destroying things and killing people and going away, the police command said that the insurgents, from all indications, went purposely for a raid on the town’s only bank.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Othman Abubakar, who gave an update on the attack to our correspondent Thursday afternoon, said, “Five people died and the place they went to attack, that’s Union Bank, was badly destroyed. But they were unable to gain access to the strong room. They couldn’t penetrate.”

    Explaining the command’s view that the insurgents had the sole purpose of carting money away, the PPRO said, “Their motive must have been to go and get money. That would be why they went directly to hit the bank. I was made to understand that money was moved to the bank earlier that day. They must have monitored the bank and went purposely for the money.”

    Read Also: Police kill four suspected robbers, injure three in Delta

    He said the insurgents were however unable to get to the money, especially as soldiers and other security agents stormed the place and succeeded in forcing the insurgents off and seizing cars and motorcycles they used in entering the town.

    He said the five residents who died might have been victims of stray bullets as they ran helter-skelter, or directly from the guns of the insurgents as they shot sporadically to scare people off.

    “They must have died from crossfire and from the sporadic shootings by the insurgents,” Othman said.

    The attack on the bank caused much dislocation within Michika, as hundreds were scared out of their houses into surrounding bushes and mountains, some apparently not comfortable about immediately returning to their homes.

    A native of Michika who lives in Yola, Felicia Jacob, said her mother was on her way to Yola, “to rest from the horror of the deadly attack.”