Category: Crime

It also viewed the grim footage of Ataga’s body recorded shortly after he was found in a Lagos short-let apartment apartment.

Miss Ojukwu, a 300-level, Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, is the prime suspect in Ataga’s murder.

She is standing trial for the alleged offence alongside her sister and third defendant Chioma Egbuchu, and second defendant Adedapo Quadri.

They have been on trial since October 12, 2021, when they were arraigned at the high court before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.

According to the Lagos State Government which is prosecuting them, the alleged murder took place on June 15, 2021, at 19, Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

At the resumption of proceedings yesterday the prosecution played the video recording from a Compact Disc (CD) on a large screen in the courtroom.

It showed Ataga lying on the floor facing up with his hands spread open wearing a white singlet and boxers shorts stained with blood. His head was close to the wall and there was blood on the floor on his right hand side.

The video also showed Ojukwu narrating how she killed Ataga, during interrogation by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Olusegun Bamidele from the Intelligence and Tactical Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba.

The defendant said she met Ataga through a friend and they started speaking to each other and that on June 13, 2021, he asked her to look for a place for them to stay, so she got the short-let apartment where they ate, drank, took drugs and where he was killed.

Ojukwu said, “After I got the place on Sunday, we were smoking Loud, drinking, watching movies, and then I went to get food. The drug we were taking got finished and I ordered another one and went downstairs to get it from the delivery guy in the morning; that was on June 14, 2021.

“Then on Tuesday, we drank and smoked Loud and I added Rophynol to his drink and we had sex. I was on the bed and he was on the chair. Then later he started disturbing me for more sex. I was tired and after struggling with him, he had his way and still wanted more.

“I thought he was no more interested in sex, only for him to return to the bed to ask for more sex. I pushed him away, which resulted in him hitting his head against a stool that had a glass. He had a cut on his leg and he became weak.

“I got a knife and stabbed him in the neck, ribs and stomach so that he would not be able to harm me. I tied his hands with handkerchief.

“His blood was out and I was scared. I just packed everything, my clothes were also stained with blood, I just packed my things and left.

“Michael (Ataga) was a friend, that we just talked, I didn’t know him that deep and we did not talk regularly.”

Asked in the video if she was assisted in killing Ataga, Ojukwu said, “There was nobody that assisted me, I did it alone.”

Operatives of Delta State Police Command have arrested three nurses at a private hospital (name withheld) in Asaba over the alleged removal of the eyes, nose and ear of a deceased newborn baby.

It was learned that the hospital had released the deceased child on Sunday after he was confirmed dead by a paediatric, but was, however, brought back, yesterday,  by the parents who alleged the removal of the human parts.

A source at the hospital said: “The parents brought the child to the hospital on Sunday evening, immediately our children’s doctor (paediatric) looked at the child and confirmed the child dead after all efforts to bring the newborn back to life.

“The hospital discharged them and the parents took the child away, surprisingly today (Monday), the parents brought the baby accusing the hospital of removing the baby’s eyes, nose and ear.

“They came with the police and arrested some nurses in the hospital.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, saying suspects have been arrested.

He said: “It is true but I have not got the details of the incident. The information we got was that the child was delivered to another hospital but was referred to that hospital where the child died.

Family members of a 40-year-old man, Adebiyi Ogunyele, have accused the Onigua of Iggua, Oba Talabi Dosunmu, and some chiefs in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State of killing him.

It was gathered that Adebiyi, an herbalist, was alleged to have been possessed by a spirit known as Jemego.According to residents, it is believed that anyone possessed by the spirit is a danger to his community.

A youth leader in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the deceased was accused of using the spirit to kill infants.

He said, “Adebiyi’s brother, Oladele, said a particular chief called him and said Adebiyi was possessed by Jemego and that he would be dealt with.

“The next day, September 16, 2022, we heard that some men from the chief’s compound arrested Adebiyi and he was taken to the chief’s house, where he was tied to a pillar and tortured.

“Later, he was taken to the palace of Oba Talabi Dosunmu, the Onigua of Iggua, where he was further beaten and tortured and tied to a pillar.

“Oba Dosunmu, after accusing Adebiyi of causing evil in the community which led to the death of children, ordered that he should be taken to the community’s evil forest known as Igbo Oro, where he was killed. His body was disposed of at the Omilende area of Igbogila in Yewa North, with a finger missing from his corpse.”

The victim’s wife, Yemisi Ogunyele, said she was with her husband and four children on the night he was taken by the chief’s bodyguards.

She said, “That day, it was around 7pm and my husband just returned from his farm when some men entered our house and demanded that my husband should follow them as he was wanted at the chief’s compound.

“When I did not see him come back, I went to the chief’s house and there I saw them beating him while accusing him of causing the death of infants with his Jemego powers.

“I begged them and cried, but they refused to stop. The next day, September 17, they took him to the Oba’s palace, where he was beaten and tortured again after which they took him to Igbo Oro, where they killed him.

“I was running around, calling family members to come and help us because women are barred from entering Igbo Oro.”

Adebiyi’s mother, Ibiyemi, said the monarch should be held responsible for her son’s death.

A relative, Adesina Alabi, said the case was reported at the Eggua Police Station.

Oba Dosunmu, when contacted, denied the allegations.

He said, “All these accusations against me over the death of Adebiyi, I know nothing about them. I did not order the killing of anyone. There was nothing of that sort.”

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had directed the homicide section to handle the case.

He said, “The case was reported by the victim’s brother to the police at Eggua Police Station and since then we have not seen him. The CP has directed the homicide section to take charge of the case.

“Our men went to the palace and investigated, but the complainant was nowhere to be found for arrest to occur because we want more information from him.

“The absence of the complainant is what has stalled the progress of investigation by the police.

“It is rather unfortunate that the family of the deceased have gone ahead to bury the corpse when we have not conducted an autopsy. This is one of the troubling issues here.”

PUNCH

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A notorious bandit leader in Kaduna State, Ali Dogo, and 30 of his foot soldiers have been neutralised by Nigerian troops in an airstrike over the weekend.

An impeccable military source confirmed to our correspondent that Dogo, also known as Yellow, and his gang members, were neutralised by airstrikes undertaken by the Air Component of Operation WHIRL Punch.

While confirming the bombardments of Yellow and his fighters, the source noted that the notorious bandit leader and his men had fled from Niger State to one Alhaji Gwarzo’s house at Yadi in Giwa Local Government Area for safety, following NAF aircraft sustained bombardments on his location in Niger, recently.

“Unfortunately for them, while they were having a meeting, NAF aircraft struck Alhaji Gwarzo’s house, leaving everybody in the building neutralized including Yello.

Separate bombardments on the same day targeting terrorists at a location 33 metres Northwest of Mando in Kaduna, were also undertaken.

The source said, “Following credible intelligence of terrorists leaders and their foot soldiers converging under tree covers at the location for a meeting, the location was struck with several terrorists killed.”

Confirming the successful bombardment, NAF Spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the Nigerian Air Force would keep up bombardment of non-state actors in the Northwest.

He said, “The Air Component in keeping with the directive of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, would continue to sustain offensive operations against these criminal elements in collaboration with the Land Component and other security agencies to rid the Joint Operations Area and indeed the entire Northwest of terrorism and other acts of criminality”.

PUNCH

Gunmen operating along the Abuja-Lokoja Road have reportedly abducted and killed an assistant Chief Surveyor at the office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Alamu Abayomi, The PUNCH has learnt.

The deceased who was abducted last week at Yakwo Farm’s sharp bend, Abaji, was travelling back to Abuja from a wedding function.

When contacted by our correspondent on Monday, the Director of Press, Micheal Abu, confirmed the incident.

He said that the incident happened while the victim was  on his way back from a wedding function and was delayed by the Lokoja flood for two days.

He said, “He (the deceased) actually went for a wedding and he was coming back. The flood in Lokoja delayed him for two days and when the water subsided, he continued the journey with his mother and son. Three of them were kidnapped in his car around Abaji area.

“The kidnappers reached us and the Surveyor-General started making frantic efforts to get them released. Last week Thursday, we were still talking with them, but they killed him later that day. His body has not been recovered.

“Somehow, they kept the mother and son somewhere and we were able to rescue them. We don’t know why they killed him. This is painful.

“The deceased is one of our best brains and it is a big loss to the agency.”

The spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, DSP Adeh Josephine, was yet to respond to inquiries from our reporter as of the time of filling this report.

Unknown gunmen has attacked Ezza North Local Government Area, setting the Headquarters on fire.

Valuable items and documents worth millions of naira were reportedly destroyed in Monday’s attack.

Chairman of the council, Ogodo-Ali Nomeh, confirmed the incident.

According to him, the arsonists numbering over 20 persons stormed the area around 1 am and set the store of the local government, on fire.

He said the arsonists were, however,  resisted by the police, who succeeded in inflicting bullet wounds on some of them before they made their escape.

“The fire destroyed new air conditioners bought for the renovation of the council, some documents and a generating set and some furniture,” he said.

Mr Nomeh said the community vigilante apparatus and security agencies were on the trail of the wounded arsonists.

He expressed confidence that they will soon be arrested to answer for the crime.

When asked if he knew the reason why the attacker stormed and their alleged sponsors, the Chairman said they will be unearthed at the end of the investigation by security agencies.

According to him, security had been beefed up at the council area to forestall a repeat of such an incident.

Source: PUNCH

Gunmen have, for the fourth time attacked Labour Party ward meeting in Enugu state ahead the 2023 general elections.

The latest incident happened at Umuida, Enugu-Ezike, in the Igbo-Eze North LGA of Enugu state, Nigeria.

According to our source, “Gunmen attacked Labour Party ward meeting yesterday being Sunday 9/10/2022 at Umuida Enugu-Ezike Igbo-Eze North LGA. We were at the meeting when four guys on two bikes arrived the venue and started shooting in the air”.

“Everyone ran away, the ward chairman and others ran forgetting their car keys on the table. We noticed that the gunmen set some motorcycles and keke ablaze.

“They also drove away with a Camry which stopped after a while, due to securirty. The engine stopped and the two guys came down and set the car ablaze and left.”

This is about the fourth Attack on Labour Party in Enugu state in four different Local Government Areas in the state.

Labour Party has been attacked in Aninri, Awgu, Oji River and now at Igboeze North Local Government Areas  all in Enugu state in the last 5 months.

Gunmen on Sunday killed some policemen on a stop-and-search duty at Umuna on Owerri- Okigwe road in Imo State.

A source who doesn’t want to be mentioned told our correspondent on Monday that an Assistant Superintendent of Police and a Police Inspector were killed by the fleeing gunmen.

He said that the gunmen who allegedly operated in military informs stormed the checkpoint in Hilux vehicle.

He said, “Umuna Division Okigwe was attacked on Sunday. The gunmen killed ASP Danjuma and Inspector Ebi while on the road. They (gunmen) stormed the the checkpoint in front of the division wearing Nigeria Army uniforms with Army Hilux vehicles.

“Another Inspector hospitalised. Something is wrong in Imo State Command. Police officers are now target. The DPO present at the recent Agwa Division attack that claimed lives of male and female officers is the same DPO at Umuna Division. Please let us keep interceding for ourselves.

“The bodies of the deceased officers are lying in the bush now as I speak. Rain is descending on their bodies. This is a disgrace! Police is not well funded, no kits, no proper insurance and life assurance scheme. Men are not well equipped yet they want police to perform magic.”

The spokesperson for the police in the state, Micheal Abattam, has not responded to an inquiry concerning the incident.