Category: Crime

The Nasarawa State Commissioner of information, Mohammed Yakubu Lawal and his son Mushab Mohammed Yakubu Lawal have been kidnapped at his residence , GRA, Nasarawa Eggon.

It was gathered authoritatively that the commissioner was abducted at about 9pm when the gunmen stormed his residence and abducted him together with his son, but later released his son.

At the time of filling this report, the whereabout of the commissioner could not be ascertained as contact has not been established while details of the abduction are still skechy.

Contacted on the abduction, the Public Relations Officer of the state police Command, DSP Ramhan Nansel said the command was yet to receive a report about the commissioner’s abduction.

Details later

The Anambra State Government has set up a special family court to tackle issues of increasing domestic violence in the state.

This is following the reported high rate of domestic violence, which one of them led to the suspension of the Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, Mr Mbazulike Iloka, as a result of the controversial circumstances trailing the death of his wife, Chidiebere.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo, while speaking to the United Business Women And Farmers Association in her office on Monday, declared that the state government has zero tolerance for domestic violence.

Obinabo pointed out that the killing of one’s spouse is an abomination, which the ministry would continue to ensure that it was put under check.

She further explained that the Family Court that was set up by the government already had 10 cases pending with nine suspects remanded at the awaiting trial section and one granted bail.

She said, “We have 10 cases of domestic violence at our Family Court and out of that number, nine suspects were remanded at the awaiting trial section while one was granted bail.

“But this is not in Anambra State alone and our state has one of the lowest cases of death through domestic violence and this recent one makes it the fifth case.”

In her earlier address, the National President of the association, Mrs Nkiru Nwagbo, said, “We call on you to help us in building capacity of our members through our various training programmes.

“We have well over 8,000 members in Anambra State who believe in our capacity to resolve their problems through empowerment programmes.”

She commended the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for taking drastic action against the Transition Committee Chairman who is being accused of killing his wife.

“We also wish to extend our hands of friendship to you in mounting public enlightenment campaigns in the promotion of these ideals engrained in the vision if your Ministry,” she added.

PUNCH

He was however, convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment for other charges.

Wadume was convicted of escaping from lawful custody and unlawfully dealing in prohibited firearms.Justice Binta Nyako convicted Wadume on counts two and 10 of the  13-count charge brought against him and six others by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) on behalf of the Federal Government.

Other defendants in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/30/2020 are: Aliyu Dadje (a police inspector), Auwalu Bala (aka omo razor), Uba Bala (aka Uba Delu), Bashir Wazlri (aka baba runs), Zubairu Abdullahi (aka Basho) and Rayyanu Abdul.

Justice Nyako, in the judgment delivered on July 22 this year, details of which The Nation obtained on Sunday, upheld the case of the prosecution team, which included Labaran Magaji and Mrs. Yetunde Cole, as it relates to five out of the seven defendants.

Justice Nyako also convicted and sentenced Inspector Dadje to three years on count seven, in which he was accused of tampering with police record to conceal a crime.

Dadje, who was a Station Officer at the Ibi Divisional Police Headquarters, Ibi Local Government Area, Taraba State was said to have, in August 2019, “willfully tampered with the entry made by the leader of the IGP IRT team, Inspector Felix Adolije, by tearing off the entry page to cover up for Captain Tijani Ahmed Balarabe and his team” upon knowing that an offence of terrorism had been committed by Capt. Balarabe and his team, who attacked and killed three members of the IGP IRT team and two civilians who were in Ibi, Taraba State to make lawful arrest.

Justice Nyako equally convicted and sentenced Uba Bala (aka Uba Delu) and Zubairu Abdullahi (aka Basho) to seven years each on counts three, four, five, six and 11.

The duo was, in the four counts, were charged with illegal possession and unlawful dealing in prohibited firearms and ammunition.

Justice Nyako also convicted and sentenced Abdul to three years for harbouring Wadume in his house in Kano after Wadume’s escape from police custody in Ibi.

The judge struck out count one, in which Wadume was charged with kidnaping Usman Garba (aka Mayo) and collecting N106million before releasing him.

She however discharged and acquitted  Auwalu Bala (aka Omo Razor) and Bashir Wazlri (aka Baba Runs), who were listed as the 3rd and 5th defendants, for want of evidence.

There was anxiety at Ajegunle, Osogbo on Saturday evening as some soldiers beat a Police officer.

The soldiers and the police officer, it was gathered, were not in uniform.

According to an eyewitness who spoke with our correspondent, the soldiers and the police officer in a different vehicle refused to allow each other pass through in the Ajekunle spare part market.

“Both of them did not want to reverse for the other to pass. The police officer identified himself while one of the three soldiers in the car still directed the policeman to reverse. His refusal lead to the fight.

“The police officer called Dugbe Police station while another three personnel joined the soldiers.

“The matter degenerated and there was an exchange of gunshots for some minutes. We closed our shops and fled the scene to escape being shot,” an eyewitness, who craved anonymity, said.

The spokesperson for Osun Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the clash but said the matter had been resolved.

A 27-year-old home help has been arrested by the police in Mai’ari Arewa village, Pali district in the Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, for allegedly strangling his boss’ daughter after he impregnated her.

The suspect, Munkaila Ado, was said to have impregnated the 13-year-old girl and connived with her mother to take her to Gombe State for an abortion.

The state police spokesperson, Ahmed Wakil, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

He said that after successfully aborting the four-month-old pregnancy, the suspect and his friend strangled the victim, burnt her body beyond recognition and buried her in a shallow grave at a nearby bush in the Akko LGA of Gombe State.

The spokesperson said that the teenager’s father, who discovered that his daughter was missing and suspected his houseboy and his accomplice, reported the matter at the Alkaleri Divisional Police Headquarters.

He said, “On interrogation, the suspect confessed that the missing girl was his girlfriend who was four-month pregnant to the knowledge of her mother but unknown to the father, Alhaji Danladi Mohammed.

Wakil added, “He further revealed that he conspired with the mother of the girl and his accomplice, Muazu Umar, to take the victim to Gombe for an abortion.

“On reaching Gombe, the victim was led to the house of one Hajiya Amina Abubakar, female, (50), in Jekada Fari, behind specialist hospital Gombe where the victim was administered with some substances to cause miscarriage.

“Eventually, on their way to Mai’ari village along Akko LGA Gombe State, the two aforementioned suspects strangled the victim. They burnt the body beyond recognition and buried it in a shallow grave at a nearby bush in Akko LGA Gombe State.’’

Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced the Village Head of Efen Ibom in Ika Local Government Area of the State, Chief Essien Matthew Odiong to death by hanging for murder.

The 82 year-old convict,  who is married to 12 wives with 60 children, was standing trial on a four-count charge of conspiracy, directing unlawful trial by ordeal, stealing of motorcycle and murder of the owner, and a member of his community, Udoma Akpan Udo Ubom.

Delivering  judgment on the matter, the  Court presided over by Justice Edem Akpan, found the accused guilty of murder of Udo Ubom  by injecting some chemical substance on him, leading to his death on 26th April, 2017.

The late Ubom was accused by his brothers of being a wizard and was reported to the Village Head, who brought him before the Efen Clan Council, where the deceased was given an oath to swear that he was not a wizard.

The Court held that “having sensed the consequences of his criminal activity, the monarch escaped from the Village since 2017 and returned in 2019, when he was arrested by the Police.”

The trial Judge also held that since “the accused had voluntarily admitted that he sat at Efen Clan Council with five other village heads and members of the Clan Council to try the deceased on the allegation of witchcraft, the law has relieved the prosecution of the burden to prove the offense of conspiracy.”

He held that “the admission of the process of trial and the decision of Efen Clan Council to administer oath on the deceased, has logically brought to the conclusion that a plastic bath on the head of the late Udoma Akpan Udo Ubom and injecting some chemical susbtance through a syringe into his buttocks by the village head, caused the death of the deceased.”

Justice Akpan sentenced the Village Head to death by hanging for murder, seven years imprisonment with hard labour for directing unlawful trial by ordeal and three years imprisonment for conspiracy with others now at large.

Before he was sentenced, the convicted Village Head, popularly known as “Kill and Bury” pleaded for leniency, asking the Court to show him mercy.

Vanguard

Gunmen have kidnapped the Divisional Crime Officer,DCO, Isuochi Police station in Umunneochi council area of Abia State, simply identified as DSP Dickson.

The policeman was said to have been abducted in broad day light three days go, Thursday, August 10, in the area while other policemen escaped by whiskers in the attack.

Some policemen who pleaded anonymity said that the morale of officers in the area has gone down since the kidnap of the DCO who is described as a ‘tough cop.’

It was gathered that the Police authorities in the state had deployed all the tactical Squads of the State Police Command to rescue the victim and his abductors, all to no avail.

The unsuccessful search by the tactical team is said to have fueled speculation about the safety of the top policeman.

The policemen urged Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu to put more efforts to check the rising kidnapping incidents in the Umunneochi/ Isuikwuato area and liaise with the police hierarchy to reorganize the police in the state.

It was further gathered that the family of the kidnapped DCO has paid an undisclosed amount of ransom demanded by his abductors, yet the DCO is still held captive.

The policemen said; “DSP Dickson hails from Enugu State. He has a health challenge and barely has just a few months to retire from the Nigeria Police. The police authorities have deployed the tactical team who went and combed the area,to no avail. They have also sent some of us,but we are aware that they have not done enough to rescue him.

“The People of the state have complained about the rising rate of insecurity in the state and demanding for redeployment of the Commissioner of Police in the state. Everyday they say Abia is peaceful and secure,but kidnappers are having a field day abducting and killing people.

“They’re saying all those things because we the affected police officers are not speaking up. There are serious security challenges all over the state, especially the Umunneochi/Isuikwuato axis. I don’t understand why the authorities are playing politics with reality. Why can’t they accept that there’s a problem and call for help? What’s happening all over the country is also here, but our own is suppressed and underreported.”

Police Public Relations Officer,Abia state Command, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna ,was yet to respond to text and call placed on his mobile number ,as at the time of filing this report.

Vanguard