The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Herbalist ‘defrauds’ cab driver of N4m

    Herbalist ‘defrauds’ cab driver of N4m

    A taxi driver seeking charms to boost patronage has allegedly lost N4million to a herbalist, David Abiodun.

    The victim, Adebayo Omoniyi, 38, lost the money to the herbalist, who promised to prepare a charm that would attract rich and famous clients to him.

    Abiodun was arrested by operatives of the zonal Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (ZCIID), Onikan.

    It was gathered that the operatives apprehended him in his shrine at Atan, Sango, Ogun State, last Thursday.

    According to the police, the Omu-Aran, Kwara State indigene allegedly collected N350,000 from the victim as first installment, but Abiodun denied the allegation.

    The police said: “The herbalist said after working for one Kazeem, he introduced his friend, the cab operator to him for assistance with Favour charm to boost his transport business and connect him to wealthy people in the society that can make him rich.

    “After a month, he prepared soap and some other concoctions for him, but the driver came back and accused him of fraud. He said the driver claimed what he gave him did not work as expected. He was not the first person he prepared charms for.”

    In his statement to the police, Abiodun admitted he was a herbalist and that he learnt the trade from his late grandmother.

    He said: “I was a barber before I started the herbalist job. Since I started the herbalist work I have not prepared money ritual for people, what I do is to assist those in need of favour and some other aspects.

    “I was surprised when I was told that I collected four million naira from the cab driver.  The tortoise that was recovered from my shrine and the candle inside bottled water were meant for someone.  I don’t prepare money ritual for people.”

    Zonal spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police (SP) said the suspect dressed like an old man and presented himself as herbalist.

    She said: “The suspect puts on costume to deceive people that he was a herbalist. He collected four million naira from the victim. The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Adamu Ibrahim has said that the suspect be charged to court at the completion of investigation”

  • Cultists kill 26-year-old in Bayelsa

    Cultists kill 26-year-old in Bayelsa

    Suspected cultists have gunned down a victim identified as Jackson Olali, 26, along Tombia Road, Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    The gunmen were said to have shot their victim at about 10:30pm on Saturday creating panic at a junction close to a popular hotel in the area.

    Family sources, who described the victim as a peace-loving man, said Olali was on his way to charge his mobile phone following power when the incident occurred.

    “We saw some armed young boys invade the place where the deceased was charging his mobile phone.And there was argument. One of the armed men came from behind and shot him in the head”, a source, who spoke in confidence said.

    Also, a 26-year-old girl identified as Debora Eteh was attacked with acid along Tombia road by a suspected jealous lover identified as Suoyonye Harry

    A source, who spoke in confidence said: “We learnt that they were both lovers and had a major disagreement. The victim was said to have pulled out of the relationship and relocated to the Bayelsa state capital.”

    “The suspect Suotonye Harry traced his victim from Port Harcourt down to yenagoa, before perfecting the evil act by bathing is victim Deborah Eteh with substance suspected to be acid.‎”

    But residents in the area were said to have apprehended the suspect and handed him over to the Akenfa Police station and took the victim to the Federal Medical Centre.

    Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat said he was yet to be fully briefed on the incidents.

  • Generator fumes kills three in Edo

    Generator fumes kills three in Edo

    Three persons have died of generator fumes at Agharese Adu street off Sapele road in Ikpoba-Okha local government area in Edo State.

    The deceased were found dead by two other occupants of the flat at about 3am on Sunday morning.

    It was gathered that two ladies were visitors of the boy who was found naked in his room.

    One of the deceased female was found dead lying in the lobby, while the other was lying down on the bed with her shoes on.

    It was gathered that it was the brothers of the deceased male that returned home from a party that raised alarm when he found the corpse.

    As at press time, the bodies of the deceased have been taken to the morgue by policemen from Etete Police Division.

    The generator from which the fume emerged was found in the kitchen of the house.

    Spokesman for the Edo State Police Command, DSP Moses Nkombe, confirmed the incident and said investigation would unravel what cause of the death.

    He said it was a case of sudden and natural death.

    “Until doctors report comes out, it is like they died of generator fume. One of the occupants of the room died. The flat is occupied by three boys. The two senior ones went to a party and when they returned, they saw that the door was locked. They had to raise alarm.”

  • Police, revenue agents on collision course over tax collection

    The revenue contractors to Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), under the aegis of Consultants Forum/Revenue Agents, have called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris to direct men of the X-Squad team to henceforth cease to invade revenue points and stop continuous harassment of revenue agents in the state.

    The President, Consultants Forum/Revenue Agents, Benue State Internal Revenue Service, Chief John Akperashi, made the call on Wednesday, at a press conference in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, had recently ordered the immediate dismantling of all illegal roadblocks erected by revenue collection agents, transport and trade union members, as well as all unapproved task forces around the country and set up a special squad called X-squad, to ensure strict compliance to the order.

    Akperashi said the Special X-Squad must desist from conspiring with associations and other unlawful agencies to extort money from tax payers, as well as cause the unconditional release of members of their forum, arrested at their lawful duty posts across the state.

    He disclosed that within the period that the team came to Benue State, revenue agents to BIRS have lost well over N500m as damages, due to wanton arrest and brutal intimidation of innocent revenue collection agents, as well as continuous destruction of revenue inspection points in the state.

    The forum frowned at the activities of the X-Squad, accusing it of allegedly abandoning its core duty of dismantling illegal road blocks in the state.

    He stated that 50 members of the forum have been arrested, out of which 25 have been released on bail, while the remaining are still in detention in police cells in Makurdi and Force Headquarters in Abuja.

    ”They conspire and aid the unlawful collection of N2000 to 3000 from vehicles at the same inspection points where they have dispersed the Benue State Revenue Collection Agents, and issue stickers purported to be from the Association of Agricultural Products Dealers in partnership with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.”

    Also speaking, the  Executive Chairman, Benue State Internal Revenue Service, Mrs Mimi-Orubebe Adzkpe, said the activities of the police as regards revenue collection is illegal and uncalled for, as it contravene the existing law on revenue, as amended in 2015.

    Reacting, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Bashkir Makama said that the action of the IGP was in order, admitting that some members of forum were actually arrested and detained due to their activities.

  • Bangladesh arrests 28 men on homosexuality suspicion

    Bangladesh arrests 28 men on homosexuality suspicion

    Police on Friday said 28 men have been arrested on suspicion of homosexuality in Bangladesh as gay sex is an offence in the Muslim-majority country.

    The Rapid Action Battalion unit of the police force picked up the men, aged between 20 and 25, from a community centre in Dhaka’s Keraniganj neighbourhood,’’ battalion commander, Jahangir Matubbor, said.

    “We have arrested them after locals complained that the young men use the community centre as a hang-out.

    “Officers found drugs, condoms and lubricants when they raided the place,’’ Matubbor said, adding that most of the detainees were students.

    He said that they were initially faced with drug charges.

    Homosexuality was criminalised in Bangladesh under a British colonial era law and could be punished with life in prison.

    The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has long faced discrimination and rights abuses in the country.

    Meanwhile, two LGBT activists were hacked to death in 2016 by suspected Islamist militants in Dhaka.

  • 6 men lynched in India over child abduction rumours

    6 men lynched in India over child abduction rumours

    Police said no fewer than six men were beaten to death by mob in eastern India on suspicion that they had kidnapped children, a media report said on Friday .
    The killings took place in two separate incidents in adjoining districts of Jharkhand State on Thursday.

    Angry villagers pelted stones, clashed with police and also torched two police vehicles.

    Police officer Prashant Anand said the first incident took place in East Singbhum District, where three men were beaten to death by villagers who accused them of kidnapping children.

    “The tribal villagers cornered the men and tempers ran high after they came to know they were outsiders, belonging to another district.

    “Suspecting them to be child-lifters, a mob physically assaulted and beat them with sticks until they died.

    “In the second related incident that occurred in adjoining Seraikela district, three more men were lynched on similar suspicion,’’ Anand said.

    Police, however, denied reports that a number of child abduction cases were reported in the region.

    “No such cases have been reported, we are trying to check the spread of rumours which is responsible for the violence.

    “ We will identify and arrest those responsible for circulating such rumours,’’ Anand stressed

  • Police recover 4 bodies of slain officers in Delta

    Police recover 4 bodies of slain officers in Delta

    The Police in Delta said they had recovered corpses of four of its officers allegedly killed by suspected militants on May 15.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the recovery to newsmen on Thursday in Warri.

    “The militants will be fished out, as investigation is ongoing on the matter,” he said.

    The deceased policemen were allegedly killed by the militants along the Benin river.

    The victims were simply identified as Aghoro (Commander), Sagay, Andrew and Mejer and their bodies have been deposited at both Sapale General Hospital and Central Hospital, Warri.

    Their vandalised boat has also been taken to Abiugborodo community under the care of some soldiers.

    A reliable source said that the policemen were invited by the militants to come and collect money to pave way for them to carry out their illegal bunkering.

    They were said to have ventured into the journey at about 2:30 a.m. on that fateful day without a back- up patrol boat.

    “Only one, Mr Ugbo on board the boat swam to safety with bullet wounds and is currently recuperating at an undisclosed hospital,” the source said.

    Reacting to insinuation that the police were on illegal patrol when they got killed , Aniamaka said:

    “We expect sympathy and to commiserate with the institution that lost four of its men inside the deep.

    “We do not deploy our men to go and be collecting money from militants. Whatever duty they were on, we are investigating the matter.

    “I am reflecting on how insensitive and callous certain persons can be especially on issues relating to the police,” he said.

  • Abia police present scorecard amid criticism

    The Abia State police command has been criticised for failing to tackle rising crime in the state. A member of the House of Representatives representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency, Ossy Prestige raised the alarm on the crime situation in the commercial nerve of the state. Prestige demanded the immediate deployment of combat-ready policemen in the city to arrest the situation. His call was amplified by the leadership of the Abia State chapter of the All Peoples Congress (APC), urging Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to tighten security in the state. They expressed the fear that if nothing urgent was done, the economic development of the state and Aba would be affected.

    In response, the State Commissioner of Police Adeleye Oyebade launched the Tactical Response Squad (TRS) following the deployment of more personnel and two armoured personnel carriers (APC) by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris.

    The state police command has said their response has yielded fruit, leading to several arrests of hoodlums and recovery of arms.

    Speaking on the command’s achievements, the Police Public Relations officer, DSP Geoffrey Ogbonna said “The Abia State Police Command under the leadership of CP ‘Leye Oyebade, in continuation of her onslaught against crime and criminality in the state, recorded handful of achievements. These were made possible by harnessing the various strategies identified in crime prevention and control.

    “On 07/05/2017 at about 2330hrs, a report was received from one Ibe Torty Kalu ‘m’ of Aba at the Police Control Room in Aba that his Peugeot 504 Saloon Car with reg. no. AJ 72 AAA dark blue in colour was snatched by three (3) armed men at Okigwe road by Rail at about 2315hrs. Consequent upon the report, patrol teams in the area were placed on alert. Then on 08/05/2017 at about 1530hrs, the said vehicle was recovered by detectives attached to Ndiegoro Division at Ibadan road by Ibere road where it was abandoned. Investigation is in progress.

    “On 08/05/2017 at about 1100hrs, following a report at CPS Aba that one Chibueze Agunwa ‘m’ of Osunkwo Triangle Road Aba, defiled 5 years old girl on 22/4/2017 at about 1800hrs and ran away. The suspect has been arrested and will be arraigned in court soonest.

    “On 08/05/2017 at about 1630hrs, a case of defilement was reported at CPS Aba against one Ugochukwu Oleka ‘m’ of Iroanusi Road Aba. The suspect committed the act on an unknown date against a girl of 13 years old in her house. Investigation has been concluded and medical report reveals that the victim is two months pregnant.

    “Upon intelligence gathered by detectives from CPS Aba about the activities of notorious syndicates that specialised in snatching exotic vehicles from neighbouring states; the operatives from CPS Aba on 08/05/2017 at about 1540hrs, recovered one Toyota Highlander Jeep with Reg No. SSM 631 TP from where it was hidden. The owner has been contacted and he affirmed that the vehicle was snatched from him in Lagos in the year 2015. The operatives equally recovered one Lexus RX 300 Jeep with Reg. No. ABC 472 LK on 04/05/2017. Efforts are on ground to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

    The police also reported that they arrested a suspected motorcycle thief, two alleged cultists, one burglary suspect as well as recovering some stolen vehicles, among others.

    Ogbonna urged members of the public to provide the police with useful information that would lead to the arrest of suspected hoodlums in their neighborhood, stating that the police was ready to shield informants.

  • Police arrest human parts dealer in Kebbi

    Police arrest human parts dealer in Kebbi

    The Police Command in Kebbi has arrested a 37-year-old man, Danbaba Umar, in Kaoje, Bagudo Local Government Area, who specialises in exhuming corpses from graves for ritual purposes.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ibrahim Kabiru, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday that the arrest of the suspect followed a tip-off.

    He said Umar was arrested at about 3:30 a.m. at the Kaoje graveyard while attempting to exhume a male corpse for ritual purposes.

    He said the suspect confessed to the crime and revealed that he was sent to commit the act by one, Malam Muhammadu from Sokoto State.

    A father of ten, the suspect told newsmen that he was a professional driver who was transporting wood planks from Zaria to Sokoto for sale prior to his recruitment for the criminal act.

    Umar said inadequate money to cater for his family compelled him to engage in the crime.(NAN)

  • Reps urge IGP to enforce police dress code

    Reps urge IGP to enforce police dress code

    The House of Representatives has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to ensure that officers and men of the force dress in uniform whenever they are on highway patrol duty.

    The call was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Ajisafe Olowookere (Ondo-APC) at the plenary on Thursday.

    Moving the motion earlier, Olowookere said that being properly dressed was necessary to prevent identity crisis and also portray the force as a disciplined organisation.

    He said that the uniform was equally important given the worrisome spate of insecurity in the country, with spiralling incidents of kidnappings and armed robberies on the highways.

    Olowookere said that the Police was a regimented organisation that had an official uniform and a dress code.

    He stated that it was necessary to deploy policemen on highways to curtail crimes, but insisted that they must be dressed in uniform.

    According to him, the practice of policemen on highway patrol wearing mufti constitutes an embarrassment, both to the force and the nation.

    The lawmaker said that being in mufti could cause unsuspecting motorists to fall victims to armed robbers, who could disguise as policemen since there would be nothing to distinguish them from the robbers.

    In his contribution, Rep. Nkem Abonta (Abia-PDP) said that policemen were sometimes victims of attacks and kidnapping, hence the need to dress in mufti.

    He added that sometimes men of the force would need to undertake undercover operations which required them to wear mufti.

    Abonta also stated that it was necessary that the House found out the reason some policemen on highway duties avoid proper uniform.

    According to him, the house will be shocked to discover that some policemen will not have received uniforms in the past five years in spite of budgetary allocation.

    In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, mandated the Committee on Police Affairs to ensure that police authorities heeded the call.