The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Police arrest cultists who chopped-off man’s wrist

    The Enugu State Police Command has in an overnight operation arrested two suspected cultists in Emene community, an Enugu suburb.

    The command’s spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, in a statement on Thursday said that the suspects were arrested at 8.00 p.m. on Wednesday.

    Amaraizu said that the command’s operatives also recovered a chopped-off wrist, two axes and a black cap from the suspects.

    He said that their victim, whose left hand wrist was chopped off, was identified as one Chijioke Chiaha.

    “It was, however, gathered that some groups of suspected cultists, on March 5 in the night at Eke Obinagu junction axis of Emene, had allegedly engaged themselves in a fight over a yet to be established issue which resulted to some injuries.

    The spokesman said two of the suspected cult members belonging to Junior Aieyes confraternity had been arrested.

    He said that one of the suspects told the police that he got a call from someone (names withheld), believed to be a cult leader in charge of Eke Emene Branch for a certain peace talk with other cult members at Eke Obinagu Emene Junction.

    “On his way to the place, he was nabbed by the security operatives of the command who had intervened promptly based on distress call received.

    “The victim, who confessed he used to be a member of a cult group, said he waited to board a tricycle to his house when suddenly three persons on a motorcycle approached him from behind and chop of his hand and drove away,’’ he alleged.

    Amaraizu said that the suspect in question identified his caller as one of those behind the chopping-off of his wrist.

    The command’s spokesman said that full scale investigation had commenced into the incident.

  • Police dismisses Plateau ‘Jihad’ rumour

    The Plateau State Police Command has urged the public to disregard an inciting rumour about a coming ‘jihad’ in the state.

    A statement by the police spokesman Tyopev Terna, a deputy superintendent of police, said an inciting document entitled: The Final Jihad on the Plateau was circulated on the social media by mischief makers.

    The Police said it was with the sole aim of creating fear, anxiety and hate among the peace-loving people of Plateau to cause a breakdown of law and order.

    The statement says: “After a thorough and careful investigation, the Plateau State Police Command realised that the initiator of this inciting document opened a fake Facebook account just for this purpose which he has since closed down.

    “The Command also found out that there was no truth in the write-up and considers it as the handiwork of faceless mischief makers who are bent on fanning the embers of religious and political hate and disunity in the state with a view to causing the breach of the peace in the state.

    “The Plateau State Police Command, therefore, warn that any individual or group of individuals caught circulating documents capable of inciting religious passion or promoting hate speeches will be dealt with in accordance with the extant laws of the land.

    “Members of the general public are, therefore, advised to ignore such insidious writeups and go about their normal and lawful businesses.”

  • Police arrest 24 for drugs, thuggery, others in Kano

    The Kano state Police Command has arrested 24 suspects within the state metropolis in connection with various crimes ranging from dealing in hard drugs, weaponry and armed robbery.

    Briefing Reporters at the Command headquarters on Wednesday, the Command’s spokesman, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, said the suspects arrested were in possession of substances such as cocaine, Indian Hemp, Suck-and-die, tramadol tablets, solution and other intoxicating and injectable drugs.

    Haruna said others were also apprehended with all forms of weaponry like sticks, knives, cutlasses, swords, and other unconventional locally made marchets used in terrorizing inhabitants and political thuggery.

    According to him, “on March 1, 2019, the duo of Mujahid Abubakar of Angwar Shano, Katsina state and Illya Garba of Mazan Guide village, in Gabasawa Local Government of Kano state were arrested at Sabon Gari market for dealing in the bulk sale of hard drugs.”

    He said the suspects confessed to the commission of the crime, while efforts are being made to arrest their accomplice and arraign them before the court of law for prosecution.

    He said that “on the 28 February 2019, one Mohammed Abdullahi of Hotoro quarters, Kano, a distributor of cocaine substance was arrested with four wraps of cocaine recovered from him, while investigation is in progress.

    “Also on March 2, one Salisu Mohammed of Yakasai quarters Kano stabbed his football coach, one Mustapha Musa with a knife. The victim died on the spot. The suspect has been arrested with an exhibit of knife as investigation is in progress.”

    Haruna said items recovered from the suspects include 39, 000 tablets of exol 5, 21,000 tablets of psychosis 5, 166,000 bottles of diazepam, 7,000 bottles of tranzile injection, 2,150 pieces tramadol injection, 8,000 pieces of Ejon merinetin injection, 40 pieces of penzozine injection, 14 pieces of voltean injection, 1600 pieces of cocadamol injection, including a sack containing used drugs.

  • Police rescue two children

    Five years after they were declared missing, the police in Lagos have rescued two children, Ikimot, 12, and Okashetu Musa.

    They said the children were rescued at 1, Ogati Street, Fadeyi, Lagos, and that one Christiana Onuchukwu, who they called mother, was arrested for child theft.

    Spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), in a statement yesterday, said the children were rescued after Ikimot went to Denton Police Station, Oyingbo, Lagos and reported that she was stolen and handed over to the woman years ago.

    He said: “The girl disclosed her abductor’s address and asked the police to reunite her with her parents.

    “Based on her complaint, the DPO in charge of Denton Police Station, CSP Saheed Quadri, led a team of detectives to 1, Ogati Street, Fadeyi, Lagos, where the suspect was arrested.

    “When the suspect and her victims were interrogated, the child said she was seven years old when she started living with the suspect and that she is now 12. She said a little boy called Okashetu Musa was also a victim.

    “The DPO dispatched detectives to rescue the boy, who was abducted when he was six. He is now 11 years old. The boy, who can still speak Hausa, said he once lived at Ebute Meta, Lagos with his mother.

    “The leader of the Hausa community at Ebute Meta was invited to the station to help link the child to his parents. After consulting with his subjects, he claimed that the mother of the boy, a visually-impaired woman, had relocated to Katsina State, having lost hope of finding her child.

    “The children have been reunited with their parents. The suspect, on March 5, was arraigned at Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court 5 for conspiracy, abduction and child theft.

    “The Commissioner of Police has directed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to intensify efforts in ensuring that the persons connected with the crime are arrested and prosecuted.”

     

  • Police rescue two missing children

    Five years after they were declared missing, the police in Lagos have rescued two children, Ikimot, 12, and
    Okashetu Musa.

    The children, according to the police, were rescued at 1, Ogati Street, Fadeyi, and one Christiana Onuchukwu who they now called mum arrested for child’s theft.

    In a statement Tuesday evening my spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) the children were were rescued after Ikimot walked into Denton Police Station, Oyingbo and reported that she was stolen and handed over to the woman many years ago.

    Oti said: ” She mentioned her abductor’s address and asked the police to reunite her with her parents.

    “Based on her complaint, the DPO in charge of Denton Police Station, CSP Saheed Quadri, led a team of detectives to 1, Ogati Street, Fadeyi, where the suspect was apprehended.

    Read Also: Police uncover plot to use covered number plate for electoral fraud

    “When the suspect and her victims were debriefed, the child stated that she was seven years old when she started living with the suspect and that her present age is 12. She mentioned another little boy called Okashetu Musa as another victim of the suspect.

    “The DPO dispatched a team of detectives to rescue the boy who was abducted when he was six but now eleven years old. In his own account, the boy who could still speak Hausa said he once lived in Ebute Meta with his mother.

    “The leader of the Hausa community in Ebute Meta was invited to the station to help link the child to his parents. The leader, after consultation with his subjects, claimed that the mother of the boy, a blind woman, had relocated to Kastina State having lost hope on the possibility of finding her child.

    “The children have been reunited with their parents while the suspect was on March 5, charged to Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court 5 with conspiracy, abduction and child stealing.

    “The Commissioner of Police has directed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to intensify efforts in ensuring that all the persons connected with the crime are arrested and prosecuted.”

  • 323 held for electoral offences, says IG

    THREE hundred and twenty-three persons are being held by the Police for sundry electoral offences across the country, Acting Inspector-General Mohammed Adamu said yesterday.

    The suspects were arrested on February 23 during the Presidential and National Assembly election. They are to be the Special Electoral Offences Team.

    According to IG Adamu, the police lost two of its personnel during the election. Several others were attacked and assaulted.

    He noted that the Special Electoral Offences Team of the Force will liaise with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prosecute electoral offenders.

    The police spoke in Abuja at the Force Headquarters during the post-Presidential and National Assembly elections evaluation meeting with Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police (CPs) and other senior police officers.

    On the number of those arrested, he said: “The updated statistics resulting from Presidential and National Assembly elections, shows that a total of 323 offenders have so far been arrested for various electoral offences and sundry crimes across the country.

    “Two officers also paid the supreme price, while some others were assaulted and injured.

    “For those arrested for various electoral infractions, I have directed the Special Electoral Offences Team of the Force to undertake detailed and conclusive investigations into all the cases with a view to liaising with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in ensuring their prosecution.

    “The Election Investigation Team, headed by CP Legal, has compiled all the cases and they are already on ground moving from one state to other to gather more evidence in collaboration with INEC and prosecution will be done by INEC.”

    Stating the readiness of the Force to ensure a smooth process in the forthcoming governorship and state assembly election, the IG warned politicians and others who may want to disrupt the process to desist or face the full weight of the law.

    He also said that officers that will be deployed to polling units will not carry arms in order not to scare voters from exercising their franchise.

    IG Adamu said: “As we perfect our plans for the Governorship and State Assembly election, I also want to reassure the nation and the international community of the unwavering commitment of the police to work closely with INEC and sister security agencies towards guaranteeing a peaceful and secure space for Nigerians to exercise their electoral franchise.

    “l must, however, re-emphasise that just as in the recently concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Nigeria Police shall remain civil, firm, optimally professional and apolitical in the discharge of our duties in the 9th March, 2019 elections.

    “We shall, nonetheless, deploy all lawful assets and assert our statutory powers to deal decisively, firmly, and promptly with any person or groups that may attempt to disrupt the process.

    “Therefore, all political actors who might be preparing to threaten the peaceful conduct of the exercise are hereby firmly warned to play the game of politics by the rules as stipulated in the Electoral Act and to appreciate that national interest overrides their personal ambitions.  Doing otherwise shall attract the full and appropriate response from the Police and other security agencies.”

    On whether there would be armed policemen in the polling units to reduce cases of disruption and other electoral offences, he said: “There will be no armed men in the polling units because the electoral law does not allow armed policemen or any other security agency that is armed to be in the polling unit.

    “However, armed men will be within the vicinity of the unit for patrol in order to prevent touts and others from disrupting the electoral process because if we send armed policemen to the polling units, the electorates may be afraid to go close to the polling units to cast their votes and that is not encouraged. In fact, internationally, it is not encouraged. So, there will be no armed personnel within the units.”

    He commiserated with the families of the officers who lost their lives and sympathized with those who were injured, assuring the families of the affected that the perpetrators will be fished out.

    “I wish to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of officers and men who lost their lives during the exercise and I also sympathize with those who were injured or assaulted. I assure them that the perpetrators of these acts will be fished out and brought to deserved justice no matter their socio-political status”, the IG said.

    He also commended the personnel across all ranks for their sacrifice and exceptional professionalism which was demonstrated during the February 28 poll, assuring that that no officer would be deployed for special duty without payment.

    Adamu said: “Under my watch, any officer sent on special duty must be paid and election duty undertaken is part of it. Allowances were paid fully and we will continue to pay all allowances for special duties before they go. If we don’t have the money to pay, we will not send them on special duty.”

  • Cook held for ‘killing’ female lawyer

    .Another for robbery

    The police in Lagos have arrested a chef Joshua Usulor for allegedly killing a female lawyer Feyitayo Obot, 34, inside a hotel at Opebi, Ikeja.

    Usulor, 21, was said to have been arrested on February 28, at his hideout in Victoria Island a month after he committed the alleged offence.

    According to a statement released Monday evening by police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP) the suspect sneaked into the victim’s room, stabbed her and slit her throat.

    Oti said police investigation showed Usulor had sneaked into the woman’s room in a bid to rob her but she caught and resisted him.

    After ensuring that the woman was dead, Usulor, the police said, stole her N26,000 and mobile phone before fleeing the room.

    He said homicide detectives were deployed to the hotel after the command received report about a murder in the premises, adding that they collected important exhibits for forensic analysis.

    “The body, which had multiple stab wounds on the abdominal region and a throat slit open with a sharp object, was recovered for autopsy.

    “The autopsy result revealed that the victim died as a result of Exsanguination (excessive loss of blood), disruption of the left jugular vein and sharp force trauma,” said Too.

    Although the suspect absconded after committing the crime, he said Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation And Intelligence Department (SCIID ), Panti Yaba, Yetunde Longe, fish out and prosecute the culprit.

    “Painstaking investigation led to the arrest of the suspect, one Joshua Usulor, on February 28, at his hideout in Victoria Island Lagos.

    “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to have committed the crime. He said he never knew the victim before and only wanted to rob her to offset his own hotel bills because he had spent two days above what he paid for.

    “To execute his plans undetected, he claimed he sneaked into the deceased’s room to steal her money and her phones but she struggled with him. He overpowered her and then stabbed her with a sharp knife on the stomach.

    “He used the same knife to slit her throat. Satisfied that the woman was dead, he made away with her phones and a cash sum of N26,000 only.

    “Investigation revealed that the deceased was a lawyer who came to Lagos for a business meeting and lodged in a hotel at Opebi, Ikeja,” Oti said.

    According to him, the suspect would be charged to court for murder while the casefile would be duplicated and sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

    Meanwhile, the command on Monday arrested a robbery suspect at 66, Olaitan Sebanjo Street in Lekki after allegedly attacking one Miss Oluwatosin Graig.

    The suspect identified as Amara Ezeodum was arrested after an anti-crime patrol team heard the screams of the victim.

    Police said He was subsequently chased, caught and a gun recovered from him.

  • Police arraign fake native doctor for defrauding man of N1.5m

    The police on Monday arraigned a fake native doctor, Stanley Igbinigie, 53, in court for allegedly defrauding a man of N1.5 million in an Ota Magistrates ‘ Court in Ogun.

    The police charged Igbinigie, whose address was not provided, with conspiracy, fraud and obtaining money under false pretence.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Chudu Gbesi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 23, 2018, at Sango-Ota.

    Gbesi alleged that the accused collected N1.5 million from the complainant, Eze Ebuka, with a promise to assist him cure an illness.

    The accused, he said, converted the money to his personal use instead of fulfilling his promise of healing the complainant..

    Gbesi said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 390(9), 419 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    Magistrate S.S. Shotayo, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

    Shotayo ordered that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment to Ogun Government.

    The magistrate adjourned the case until March 20, for further hearing.

  • Police arrest one-chance robbery gang in Ogun

    The Police in Ogun State have arrested three – man robbery gang in Atan-Ota area of Ado-Odo Ota Local Government area of the State, who engaged in luring unsuspecting passengers into a vehicle only to rob them on isolated areas on the way later.

    The suspects; Aisu Anago(30), Muritala Alubarika(42) and Noah Joel (34) were arrested last  February 28 at Atan motor park following a tip – off by one Mrs Taye Olotu,  who had earlier being their  victim.

    Mrs Olotu reported to a Police patrol team led by a Divisional Police Officer, Atan-Ota Division, a Superintendent of Police, Abiodun Salau, that she boarded a vehicle going  to Idiroko earlier in February but was robbed by the occupants half way into the journey before pushing her out of the vehicle.

    She informed the Police further that while she wanted to board a vehicle again at the same park, she saw the suspects who had earlier robbed her  calling passengers into their vehicle and decided to alert the police about it.

    Read Also: ‘No policeman killed bus driver in Lagos’

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who made this known in a statement on Sunday, stated that upon the information received, the patrol team quickly followed the woman to the motor park, met the suspects and arrested three of them.

    Abimbola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), stated further that a search  on them led to the discovery of a cutlass and rope which they often use to tie victims before dispossessing them of their properties.

    The Police Spokesman in the state, also noted that the suspects had revealed their mode of operation.

    “They have made confessional statements that their mode of operation is for one of them to act as a driver of the car, while the two others will pretend to be passengers already in the car and they will sit in such a way that will ensure their victim is sandwiched between them.

    “Once they got to an isolated area, one of them will bring out the  cutlass and the other one will use the rope to tie the hands of the victim to make it easy for them to search and dispossess such person of whatever valuables with him or her.

    “They admitted been the gang that robbed the complainant earlier in the month, of the sum of N100, 000.”

    He explained that  the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has directed that  the suspects should be transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery  Squad for discreet investigation.

  • Police arrest 10 for electoral offences in Niger

    The Niger State Police Command has arrested 10 suspects for various electoral offences.

    In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abubakar Muhammad, the offences include snatching of ballot boxes, unlawful possession of 12 PVCs, destruction of ballot papers and disruption of the peaceful conducts at polling units.

    He said that the suspects were arrested from Lapai, Mokwa and Bida local government areas of the State.

    The PPRO said that the suspects and exhibits have been transferred to Force Headquarters for continuous investigation and prosecution.

    He further warned that anyone with the intention of causing chaos during the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections on March 9 should have a rethink as the Police are on ground to apprehend any offender.