Category: Crime

The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Sunday Faleye, has quizzed the Divisional Crime Officer of Ode-Omu Police Division, Matthew Ajayi, who was accused of torturing a woman inspector, Bamidele Olorunsogo.

In a video Olorunsogo could be seen displaying the injuries she sustained on her chest and hands.

She claimed that Ajayi tortured her because she turned down his sexual advances.

“He now started beating me to the extent that he naked me. Look at all my hands and my chest, everywhere injured. He asked me out, that I should befriend him. I said I’m a married woman and that I cannot befriend him. He started blackmailing me,” she added.

The cop said other police officers witnessed the incident, adding that the DCO also picked up a gun and threatened to shoot her.

She said, “They tried to send me out of the office but I said no, if he wants to kill me, he should kill me.”

The Osun Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, said the CP had directed the Ikire Area Commander to take over the case and report back to him, adding that the investigation would be concluded within two days.

She said, “Immediately we heard about it, the CP told the Divisional Police Officer to bring them and he personally interviewed them and told the Ikire Area Commander to take over further investigation. Between today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday), the investigation will be concluded.”

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Wednesday, assured the public that justice would be done in the case.

He said, “We will await the report of the investigation from the Osun State Police Command before necessary actions are taken. However, we assure the general public that justice will be done in the case to protect the core values and ethics of the NPF.”

According to the source, Mairuwa community was the worst hit in the attack by the bandits. He explained that the terrorists started shooting sporadically when they (bandits) surrounded the farm.

The source added that N1miilion was paid to the bandits as levy before mobilising the children by a representative of the farm, explaining that most of the adults working on the farm with the children were able to escape during the attack.

The source said, “They demanded N3m from the owner for him to be able to harvest his produce, he gave them N1 million as part payment and decided to begin the work before completing the money, but unfortunately the bandits did not accept that. In our village, Mairuwa, alone we have 33 among the victims including young ladies who are due for marriage.”

He stated that the owner of the farm is a Funtua resident, but his representative is residing in Mairuwa village, saying that as he speaks, the bandits have used the cell phone of one of the victims to call demanding a ransom of N30 million.

He added that they (bandits) said they were at the farm to abduct the owner or his representative, stressing that since they could not meet either of them, they decided to kidnap those working for them.

SP Gambo Isah, the police spokesman in Katsina, assured that there was an ongoing effort by the police to rescue the victims with synergy with the state government and other security agencies.

It was also gathered that six of the victims regained freedom on Tuesday.

Faremi was arrested by the men of the Dada Estate Police Station, Osogbo following a complaint that was lodged by some members of the public.

The suspect, who resides at Hallelujah Estate in Osogbo, was said to have defiled a girl, aged nine (name withheld). He was alleged to have taken advantage of the minor twice again in May and once in August 2022.

According to one of the victim’s family members who does not want his name in print, Faremi was caught sometime in September while taking advantage of the minor.

It was learnt that the 68-year-old retired secondary school principal usually gave a pill to the under aged girl to take each time they had a romp.

Pressure was reportedly mounting on the victim’s family to conceal the incident, but some of her relatives insisted on getting justice.

Wey was quoted as saying that “We have been monitoring a case of defilement of a 10-year-old-girl which started when the girl was just nine years. The Church has mounted pressure on the family to conceal the heinous crime and the family bowed to the pressure without thinking of the future of the minor and the implication of the act on her.

“This case has been reported to the Osun State CAN Chairman and the Divisional Police Headquarters at Dada Estate.”

A relative of the victim who craved anonymity said, “The pastor of the church that the suspect is attending called for a meeting and Faremi confessed before the pastor and others how he defiled our daughter. The pastor and others were begging us not to do anything.”

Meanwhile, Faremi has been charged before an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court on three count- charge bothering on rape, sexual exploitation and assault.

The charge against him read that “Ayodele Faremi, on 13th day of September, 2022, at about 9am at Dele Yes Sir area, Osogbo, did unlawfully have sexual intercourse with one Korope Rose (not real name), aged 10 years and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 31(1)(2) of the Child’s Rights Law of Osun State, 2007.

“You, Ayodele Faremi, on the same date, time and place, did unlawfully take undue advantage of one Korope Rose, aged 10 years and sexually exploited her and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 32 of the Child’s Right Law of Osun State, 2007.

“You (defendant) did unlawfully and indecently assault one Korope Rose, aged 10 years and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 360 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.”

Magistrate O.A Daramola ordered that the defendant should be remanded in prison and adjourned the case till October 25.

When the matter was brought before Magistrate A. O. Odeleye Faremi was re-arraigned but his plea was not taken on the ground that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.

Odeleye directed the police prosecutor, John Idoko, to forward the defendant’s case file to the Department of Public Prosecution in the state.

Faremi would be spending the coming Christmas and New Year celebrations in prison custody as the case was adjourned till January 17, 2023.

It will be recalled that the countries issued the advisory, warning their citizens to avoid travelling to Nigeria, particularly Abuja, because of a potential terror attack in the city.

The government also allayed the fears of the citizens, as President Muhammadu Buhari had on his return from his official visit to South Korea weekend, down played the terror alert raised by the western countries, saying they had always issued such advisory to their citizens in countries across the world and that Nigeria would not be an exception.

The issue had generated so much anxiety in the FCT, especially after the UK and US had asked staff of their embassy and High Commission and citizens to leave the city.

‘Nigerians not in danger’

But the National Security Adviser, NSA, Maj. General Babagana Monguno, retd, who stated this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the emergency security meeting summoned by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, said Nigerian citizens are not in danger.

Monguno, who was flanked by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, said the panic that followed the US terror alert addressed to its citizens in Nigeria was unnecessary because the hype and the sense of insecurity it created were unfounded.

He urged Nigerians and other residents to go about their daily lives as usual, insisting that the security situation in the country is not as dire as the US and UK governments had painted.

The NSA also stated that the armed forces, security, and intelligence organizations were continuing with their mandate to keep every Nigerian and every area of the nation secured.

Monguno, who disclosed that the meeting basically was to discuss recent happenings within the FCT and certain declarations and alerts coming from various quarters insinuating growing insecurity and threat to security within Abuja and environments, assured that the country and the capital remained secured

He said:  “In rounding off, I will like to first and foremost, assure all the citizens of this country that any exaggerated sense of insecurity, any hype about a disintegration of our security forces, intelligence agencies, is unfounded.

‘’I want to assure Nigerians that so far, the situation has been under control, the intelligence and security agencies have made a lot of arrests.

‘Unnecessary  panic’

“The issue of Nigerians being made to panic is unnecessary. The situation in various areas of the Federal Capital Territory has been brought under control and we’re trying as much as possible to work with our neighbors and, within the domestic situation, to work with our foreign partners in a responsible way, without giving the impression that Nigeria is skating on thin ice and we’re about to implode.

‘’I’ll want to dispel any illusion about any heightened sense of insecurity. It is false, it is irresponsible for anybody to give that signal.

“We’re working with our foreign partners in a responsible way and Nigerians should go about their normal daily undertakings without being put in a situation of fear.”

Asked specifically to state whether the advisory given by the countries was false as dismissed by the Inspector-General of Police, the NSA said:  “We’ve been sharing intelligence with not just the US, but with other partners and we’ve been acting on the intelligence; we’ve been working.

‘’Has anything happened so far? No, nothing has happened, but they went ahead to issue this advisory to their people and, of course, the connotations are there, they could have various reasons for doing that.

“This is the first time it is happening. Come on, it’s the first time it is happening. I don’t have that crystal ball to know the workings of their minds, but the truth is that the alert was for their own citizens. Probably the way in which it was released became complicated at the end of the day.

“These are conjectures. There’s nothing that is specific. It is an unnecessary distraction. As far as we are concerned, the safety, the security of Nigerians is paramount and as far as we know, there’s nothing untoward so far.

“Nigerians should be allowed to go about their legitimate undertakings without being put in a tight spot. The country is safe, Abuja is safe.”

Speaking on the arrest of the suspect, the Borno State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdu Umar, said the suspect was arrested on October 19 by men of the command at Anguwan Doki.

CP Umar explained that as soon as Goni started eating the food given by the suspect, his condition deteriorated and he was rushed to the state specialist hospital where he was given emergency medical attention, unfortunately, he later died when they returned home.

Umar said men of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department were deployed to arrest the suspect after the incident was reported by the family of the victim at the GRA Police Station.

He noted that on the arrival of the police, they witnessed large numbers of aggrieved youths in the neighbourhood who stormed the home of the victim to lynch the suspect but the police were able to bring the situation under control.

He added that the suspect, in her statement, confessed to the alleged crime, noting that she bought the poison from Monday Market when she already made up her mind to kill him.

He said the case had been registered as a culpable homicide before the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions before she would be charged in court.

The suspect, Fatima, who was paraded at the command, said she killed her husband because she was tired of the marriage.

She said: “I never wanted the marriage. Goni was my second husband; I got separated from my first husband because I hate marriage.

“Anytime I wake up with the fact that I am married, it pisses me off. At some point, I had to run to my parent to demand an end to the marriage but they always sent me back, asking me to be patient.

“At some point, two months after I gave birth to my child, I ran away and slept in an uncompleted building for about two weeks. I later returned to my husband’s house.

“Not that he doesn’t treat me well, we are also not quarrelling. We are two in the household, I am his second wife and I have been married to him since 2021. But I just hate when any man comes near me.

“I don’t know what is wrong with me. Even now that I am speaking to you, I don’t feel that I was the one who killed him.”

As a result, the checkpoint mounted between Gosa and Centenary City caused heavy gridlock with many road users wondering about the cause of the roadblock.

Mostly affected were road users coming from the Gwagwalda and Kuje axis as well as the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport with the gridlock said to have stretched as far as the Soka area close to the headquarters of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

A similar gridlock was also said to have occurred along the Dei-Dei/Kubwa expressway but Vanguard gathered that Trailer fell on the road, blocking three-quarters of the express road thereby causing the gridlock.

Efforts to get the military authorities to ascertain the reasons for Sunday night’s blockade of the airport road and searches proved abortive however, it was gathered that the deployment of the military detachment to the airport road may not be unconnected with the ongoing security efforts to foil any attempt by criminal elements/terrorists to infiltrate the FCT.

Similar deployments of the military have been sent to the Suleija/Zuba entry point into Abuja as well as the Abaji/Lokoja boundary of the FCT.

Lt.-Cdr. Richard Iginla, Base Information Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, paraded the suspects and rescued victims before newsmen in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Iginla said the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Nigeria Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

According to him, the 50 prostitutes, mainly teenage girls were rescued in the early hours of Saturday after a tip-off from NAPTIP.

“We got the intelligence from NAPTIP, who had been tracking the brothels that camped juveniles with some of them as young as 14 years of age.

“So, after NAPTIP shared intelligence with us, a joint team was set up and we immediately went into action to rescue the victims.

“No fewer than 50 young girls forced into prostitution were rescued while three recruiters and operators of the brothels were arrested,” he said.

Iginla said the brothels; Royal Brothel and Cool Breeze Brothel both located on Azikiwe Road in Diobu area of Port Harcourt had been shut down.

He said that efforts were ongoing to the trail and arrest the leaders of the sex trafficking ring, which recruits children from villages into prostitution.

“Children are gifts from God, and we must do everything humanly possible to protect them from all forms of abuse and exploitation.

“The Nigeria Navy will continue to collaborate with relevant agencies to bring to justice criminal elements that traffic persons either on land or through the waterways.

“On conclusion of our investigation, the suspects and victims will be handed over to NAPTIP for further investigation and possible prosecution,” he added.

Speaking, the Head of NAPTIP in Rivers, Mrs Nwa-amaka Ikediashi, said the agency would immediately rehabilitate the victims with a focus on reintegrating them back into society.

According to her, the victims, mainly under-aged girls, would also partake in different phases of counselling, to ensure they don’t continue prostitution.

“NAPTIP, as the focal agency mandated to fight all forms of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, will conduct a proper investigation, to ensure justice is served,” she promised.

One of the rescued minors, an Anambra indigene, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she was trafficked from her village to work as a house help.

The victim said on her arrival in Port Harcourt in the company of one of her kinswomen that she was forced into prostitution.

“One of my village women (trafficker) brought me and two other girls from our village with the impression that we are coming to serve in a hotel.

“Shortly after we arrived at the hotel, she (trafficker) went outside and collected money from one woman (brothel operator). That was the last time I saw her (trafficker).

“Later, the woman, simply known as madam, put us in a room and told us that we would work as Ashawo (prostitute),” she said.

Ruth said she immediately refused to work as a prostitute but after the operator threatened her with torture and starvation, she gave in.

“In a day I sleep with more than 10 men, and whatever money I make, I give it to my madam.

“We hustle by wearing pants to seduce the men. After admiring what they see, they (men) take us into the room; have sex with us and give us money.

“We do a daily account of any money we collect to our madam’s sister, who calculates and gives us our cut,” she added.