Category: Crime

Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the victims were rescued by troops during patrols around Ungwan Namama, along the Zaria-Kano road.

He said during the patrol, the troops came in contact with migrating bandits in the area and engaged them, forcing them to abandon their three captives.

According to him, the troops evacuated the abandoned victims, whose names were; Abdullahi Lawal, Sadiya Salimanu, Fatima Salimanu (Sadiya’s 10-month-old child)

“Investigations revealed that the captives were kidnapped in a neighbouring state.” He said

He further stated that the troops also, recovered nine rustled animals, comprising one cow and eight sheep.

According to him, the rescued persons have been reunited with their families, while the recovered animals were handed over to local authorities for proper identification and retrieval.

“One Hajiya Bilkisu, a suspected accomplice who had been housing the arrested persons was unfortunately lynched by members of the community as she tried to escape,” he said.

The commissioner added, “Security agencies have reported to the Kaduna State Government that seven suspected bandits have been arrested in Mariri community of Lere local government area.

“According to the report, the arrests were the result of sustained intelligence gathering. Troops of Operation Safe Haven acted on credible intelligence and arrested members of a kidnap gang.

“The Kaduna State Government noted the report with satisfaction and commended the troops for their prompt action on credible intelligence gathered. The Government urged security agencies to ensure a thorough investigation of the suspects.”
PUNCH

Iloka was suspended by the state government on Friday, pending the conclusion of investigation into the alleged murder and to avoid any interference.

A source had told our correspondent that the embattled suspended LG chair, also known as Mba Mba is currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, Anambra State, under charges of culpable homicide.

The Anambra State police spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the arrest to our correspondent on Wednesday.
Ikenga, however, called for caution from the public, saying that the case is being investigated as an autopsy will prove the cause of the wife’s death.

The source said his arrest was consequent upon a petition by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, on Monday and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters.

HURIWA reportedly dragged the suspended council boss to IGP Baba over issues bordering on domestic violence.

PUNCH

She was subsequently attacked by the duo.

The victim’s elder brother, Anayo Warisi, while speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, said his sister was seriously injured and rushed to a hospital.

He said, “It was this morning (Monday); my sister’s husband brought another woman to their house. So, she asked him why he did that. He started beating her.

“Then he cut her all over her body with a machete. But her leg was worse. My siblings took her to a hospital in Elele, but she was rejected because the injury was serious. So, they moved her to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, where she was admitted.

Meanwhile, a group, Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The group’s Secretary, Gladys Oyenmwen, said, “Domestic violence under any guise has no place in our society and should not be condoned irrespective of who is involved.”

The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect’s girlfriend had been arrested.

“The woman has been arrested and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department,” she added.

She assured that Chima would be arrested.

The situation caused tension in the area as youths stormed the FRSC office in the area and set it ablaze.

Though details of the incident were sketchy, eyewitnesses said that a disagreement had ensued between two FRSC officials and the bus driver, which led to a fight. In the confusion, one of the FRSC allegedly stabbed the driver on his back.

As the bus driver lay on a pool of blood, the FRSC officials took him to the Ronald Hospital, Mkpuka, where he was confirmed dead by doctors at the facility.

According to the eyewitnesses; “The FRSC people stopped the bus driver. And the man parked his bus with the inscription ‘Jesus is the rock’ with passengers by the roadside. There was a disagreement and they started exchanging words and a fight broke out.

“The government should dismantle the checkpoint at Umuikaa junction before the FRSC will kill more drivers. The FRSC people have been using small boys who hawk goods to extort money from bus drivers and this has been causing problems. Last time, the same FRSC people caused a security agent to kill a driver at this Umuikaa junction.”

Contacted, Sector Commander , FRSC, Abia State, Mr. Paul Ugwu said he was yet to get the full details of the incident.

‘’We are yet to get the full details of the situation from our office at Umuikaa for us to be able to inform you better but we learnt that a driver was stabbed at Umuikaa,” he said.

However , Chairman of Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, Chief Iyke Anyatonwu, who condemned the dastardly killing of the bus driver, lamented that the unlawful activities of various security agencies operating at Umuikaa junction have defeated the aim of bringing them to the area as they have turned their checkpoints to toll gates to the detriment of the people they are paid to protect.

Anyatonwu who spoke through his media aide, Enyinnaya Standhope Nwaigwe, urged the State Sector Commander of the FRSC to immediately investigate the matter and apprehend the perpetrators.

He also urged the youths of the area to remain calm and avoid taking laws into their hands and assuring that his government will ensure that those involved in the incident are brought to book.

Nansel said on Monday at about 8:45 p.m., policemen on patrol heard sporadic gunshots in the Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Area.

He noted that the Commissioner of Police, Adesina Soyemi deployed the Mobile Force, the Anti kidnapping unit, military personnel, vigilantes and hunters.

“Upon arrival at the scene, it was discovered that gunmen invaded the residence of the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and forcefully abducted him to an unknown destination,” he said.

He disclosed that the search and rescue operation is being led by Area Commander, Akwanga Area Command, ACP Halliru Aliyu.

The PPRO called for useful information that would assist security agencies to rescue the victim and arrest the kidnappers.

The police urged residents to reach the command via: 08035951018, 08033806409, 08037461715 and 08036157659.

On Saturday, gunmen killed a staff of Government Science Secondary School Nasarawa-Eggon in the same LGA.

The report has now been submitted to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

A panel to produce the white paper will soon be set up, presidency sources informed.

The former EFCC boss was alleged to have mishandled the recovered loot and sold seized assets to his associates.

Wahab Shittu, Magu’s lawyer, declined to comment on the report when contacted “because I cannot talk on a report I have not seen”.

The report reads in part: “The EFCC under the watch of the suspended Ag. Chairman in its submission to PCARA reported N46,038,882,509.87 as being the foreign currency equivalent recovered by the commission between May 29, 2015, and November 22, 2018.

“The EFCC, however, only produced evidence of lodgements of N37,533,764,195.66, leaving a shortfall of N8,505,118,314.21.

“The EFCC reported to PCARA a total naira recovery of N504,154,184,744.04; the actual bank lodgement of the naira recoveries was, however, N543,511.792,863.47.

“That EFCC failed to produce before PCARA the evidence/record of the difference of N39,357,608,119.43.

“The EFCC, in its returns on non-cash assets, made to the president on April 7, 2017, declared 836 as the total number of recovered real estates, while in its first and second returns to PCARA, it rendered contradictory figures of 339 on 13/12/2017, leaving a difference of 497 and 504 on 9/3/2018, with a difference of 332.

“Between 2016 and 2019, fourteen (14) procurement fraud cases involving N117,972,209,035 and $309,151,419 were abandoned under Mr Ibrahim Magu’s watch.”

The commission observed from its findings that prosecutorial decisions by Ibrahim Magu on case files were based on his personal whims, as against the law and facts. The commission also notes the prevalence of widespread corruption, abuse of power and pervasive impunity in the running of the EFCC.”

The panel also said records of forfeited assets were poorly kept by the commission.

“In 2016, Magu halted the process of disposing of two finally forfeited vessels, MT Good Success with 1,459 metric tons of PMS; and MT Askaris with 3,423,097 metric tons of crude…the cargoes eventually sank…Magu also asked the navy to release two vessels conveying illegally refined AGO to their owners,” the panel said.

“Thirteen water vehicles (vessels) handed over to the EFCC by the Nigerian Navy, out of a total number of 154 vessels, have submerged (sunk) with tons of contents.

“The submissions made by the EFCC before the commission shows that, from inception to date, the total number of non-cash assets recovered under final forfeiture was 3133. The analysis of the recoveries shows that some of the assets were disposed of, forfeited to a third party or negligently lost. The commission conducted physical verification of recovered assets across the country from 1st-27th October 2020.

“The outcome of the exercise was revealing as some of the forfeited assets have been lost, deteriorated, physically possessed by the suspects, or could not be traced and in some instances remain in occupation years after their final forfeiture.

“The EFCC reported disposal of 275 real estate, the judicial commission only confirmed 76 disposal”, the report added.