Seven arraigned for allegedly attacking policemen, burning vehicles
The police on
Thursday arraignment seven men in a Wuse Zone 6 Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for
allegedly attacking policemen on duty and burning four vehicles worth N3.7
million.
The police charged
Shuaibu Iliyasu, Abdulmajid Ibrahim, Abdulrahman Lawali, Nasiru Alhassan,
Abdulkadir Sanusi, Sanusi Suleiman, and Muktari Musa with three counts of
criminal conspiracy, obstruction of public servant while discharging their
lawful duty.
The Prosecuting
Counsel, Mr Dominic Abba, told the court that the defendants on May 23,
attacked Insp. Joseph Ogeodo and two others, who were trying to clear an
accident scene on the Abuja – Niger highway, NAN reports.
He alleged that the
defendants, due to the incident, mobilised, conspired among themselves and
attacked the policemen on duty and burnt down a Toyota Camry with registration
number KUJ 862 NZ, valued at N900, 000; a Chevrolet with registration number
ABJ 270 XN, valued at N1.5 million which were impounded by the Federal Road
Safety Corps.
He also said that
the defendants burnt down a Nissan Almera, valued at N480,000 and a Mazda
valued at N800, 000.
Abba said the
offence contravened the provisions of Sections 97, 148 and 336 of the Penal
Code.
The defendants
pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Magistrate, Mr
Ibrahim Muhammed, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N1 million
each, with one surety each in like sum.
Muhammed ordered
that the sureties must be reasonable, reliable and must be a civil servant
living within the court’s jurisdiction.
NBC vs DAAR Communications: Heavily armed police, SSS operatives
surround AIT premises – Akiotu
Heavily armed
security men of the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service have
surrounded the premises of the African Independent Television, AIT.
This was after the
station came back on air late Friday.
This was disclosed
by the Group Managing Director of DAAR Communications, Tony Akiotu.
Akiolu addressed
newsmen shortly after AIT commenced operation, claiming that security forces
gathered around the station’s premises.
He decried the
development, adding that the action of the NPF and the SSS was an ‘unwarranted
threat’ on the broadcast station.
He said that “by
12.30 a.m. Saturday morning, the premises was surrounded, adding that the
“heavily fortified security operatives were carrying out surveillance on the
premises.”
He said this was
“unusual” and the motive “unclear” but the station will not be deterred as “the
station is still transmitting signals on its national and global beam.”
Land tussle: Group decries
police harassment, seeks FG’s intervention
Sequel to the continuous harassment, arrest
and detention of its workers by the Policemen, a Non-Governmental Organization
(NGO), Faith-Based AIDS Awareness Initiative has cried out to the Federal
Government for justice and intervention, by coming to its aid.
The organisation through its Executive
Director, Pastor Folororunsho Oloruntunde, narrated its ordeal on Thursday in a
chat with journalists in Jos.
Oloruntunde said, “We are tired of police
harassment, arrest and detention over a plot of land that belongs to us and we
are begging the federal government to call the Management of Police Staff
College, Jos, to order.
“We bought the piece of land close to Police
Staff College in Jos from the natives, who testified in court and judgement was
entered in our favor five years ago, yet the police is harassing us, “ The
director lamented.
Oloruntunde disclosed that just last Monday
three of the labourers working at the NGO’s Headquarters site were arrested and
detained at Bukuru Police Division on the order of the Commandant of the Police
Staff College.
He explained that on February 27, 2014,
Justice Christy Dabup of the State High Court VII gave an order to the Police
not to harass, arrest, detain and disturb us from continuing with our
construction.
“But in spite of court order, the same police
arrested, detained our boys and even sued us before a Bukuru Senior Magistrates
Court, which on Oct. 21, 2015, struck out the case for last of merit.
“We have written to the Inspector General of
Police (IGP), the Commandant of Police Staff College and the Plateau State
Commissioner of Police on the issue and attached the court’s verdicts for their
understanding.
“It’s five years now that the police did not
appeal any of the court verdicts, yet they blatantly refused to allow us to
roof the building, “ he pointed out.
In a letter to IGP dated May 13, 2019, the
NGO intimated him of the continuous harassment, arrests and detentions as well
obstruction of its work on its headquarters building by the Police College
management.
“The attached are judgments delivered by
courts of competent jurisdiction restraining further disturbances, but this
morning (May 13, 2019) we are surprised that the police came with a Hilux and
arrested 3 innocent workers at the site.
“This act has been traumatizing and wasting
our hard earned resources since 2013. This complaint is for you to use your
good offices in letting the law prevail and prevent further violation.
“Since 1994, Faith-Based AIDS Awareness
Initiative (FBAAI) has been contributing significantly to peace and health of
Nigerians in most communities, “ the letter read.
Chief Gregory Pwajok, Gwom Kwata (Village
Head) of the area, faulted and condemned the action of the police staff college
authorities.
“My subjects sold the land to the NGO, which
has gone to obtain R of O from the Plateau State Ministry of Land and Survey.
“ If the college claims the contrary, let the
authorities show the world its papers for the land. In fact, no compensation
has been paid by the Federal Government on the entire portion the college is
built upon.
“It’s surprising that they are claiming
ownership of the unfenced land to the college.,” Pwajok lamented.
Reacting to the allegations raised, the
college’s Deputy Commandant, CP Rabiu Yusuf, refused to comment on the issue on
the guise that the matter is before a court of Law.
Yusuf, who spoke through the College’s Public
Relationships Officer (PPRO), Solomon Utuumu I. Nyou, said, “l can’t speak on a
matter that is already in court.”
When asked who sued who in which court in
spite of the earlier two court judgements issued in favor of the NGO, he simply
said, “l don’t know but that’s what l was instructed to tell you, the press.”
Police nab three cultists recover female pants, charms, weapons in Ogun
Men of the Ogun state police command have
arrested three suspected cult members identified as Olagboye Abidemi, 32;
Olasemojo Michael, 28; and Wasiu Waheed, 23, who were caught with a female pant
allegedly tied with charms in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun
State.
According to the police, the men who are
members of the Eiye confraternity, were arrested on Friday May 10th at
their initiation hideout in the Agbowa area of Ogijo.
Confirming their arrest, the spokesperson of
the state police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said.
“The DPO Ogijo division, CSP Muhammed Baba,
while leading his men on Operation Puff Adder on a routine patrol, got
information about the hideout of the cultists where they usually initiate new
members. The place was stormed and three members of the group were
arrested. Recovered from them were one jackknife, one bloodstained silver
knife, female underwear tied with charms and other assorted charms.”
Edo Police boss blows hot
over arrest, transfer of Chief Priest to Benin city
Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Mr.
DanMallam Mohammed, has assured that disciplinary action will be taken against
the policemen who whisked away the Chief Priest of Okhuaihe shrine at Evbokhoi,
Uhunmwode Local Government Area the State, Chief Osarodion Usuanlele, to the
Police headquarters in Benin city for questioning.
Dan Mallam, who confirmed Usuanlele’s arrest,
however, insisted that the arrest and transfer of the high chief, who holds the
title of Ohen N’ Ukoni Neyedo, by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit to Benin
was based on a petition by an indigene of the area.
Speaking to Tribune, the Police boss said
based on the allegation by the local, whom he emphasised ought to know better,
the policemen invited him to Benin for interrogation.
The commissioner, however, blamed the
policemen for insisting on transferring the suspect to Benin despite his
strident protest that moving him to the Edo State capital will amount to a
desecration of Bini culture.
DanMallam said: “The issue could have been
resolved over there at the local police station without moving him to Benin.
“The police must respect the culture and
tradition of the people in areas where they operate.
“We are not taking the matter lightly and will
deal with our men who are involved in the incident.
“They ought to have listened to the complaint
of the chief and deal with the matter at the nearest police station, instead of
bringing him to Benin.”
He denied receiving a list of items from the
chief priest to cleanse the land, noting that the locals bought the items and
did the sacrifice themselves.
The items reportedly included 14 native cows,
tortoise, sheep, goats, cocks, among others.
We had earlier reported that going by
an age-long tradition of the Binis which has been on since the times of Oba
Ewuare the Great in the 15th century, the Ohen
N’ UKoni is forbidden from setting his feet in Benin, the abode of the Oba as
it is said to amount to a desecration.
As part of coronation rites of the Benin
monarch, the chief priest engages in a symbolic wrestle with the prince of
Benin, after which both men go opposite ways, never to see each other again,
once the prince becomes the Oba.
Ferry Gberegbe: SARS
Commander denys police involvement in the death of PDP agent in Rivers
The Rivers State Commander of the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Akin Fakorede, an Assistant Commissioner of Police
(ACP), has maintained that policemen did not kill an agent of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ferry Gberegbe, during the March 9 governorship and
House of Assembly elections in the state.
He declared that the late Gberegbe, who until
his death was a lecturer with the Rivers State government-owned Ken Saro-Wiwa
Polytechnic, Bori-Ogoni, was a cult leader and was eliminated by cultists.
The SARS commander, while testifying before
the investigating members of the Joint House of Representatives’ Committees on
Army, Police, Human Rights and Justice, at a sitting in Port Harcourt, had
stated that Gberegbe died of food poisoning.
However, the Rivers Chairman of PDP, Chief
Felix Obuah, faulted Fakorede’s testimony before the committee members and
expressed shock that the SARS commander could deny his involvement and
responsibility for the barbaric act, which he claimed Fakorede personally
masterminded.
Speaking in an interview with The Nation,
Fakorede expressed surprise that Obuah could accuse him and some SARS
operatives of killing the party’s agent.
He said: “I represented the police at the
public hearing. We only called for an autopsy to be conducted to determine the
death of Dr. Gberegbe.
“We also placed before the committee members,
intelligence report at our disposal.
“We know for a fact that Dr. Gberegbe was not
shot by the police. We have credible intelligence on the circumstances that led
to his death and we simply put the intelligence in the public domain, through
the committee, along with our findings.
“Why was the deceased taken to a hospital 60
kilometres away, when many well-equipped hospitals are closer to the scene of
the incident?”
The SARS commander also revealed that the
late lecturer died on March 16, 2019 at St. Patrick Hospital, Port Harcourt and
not during the March 9 elections in BoriOgoni, as alleged.
He said: “Dr. Gberegbe was at all times a
part of the plot that eventually took his life. He was killed by his friends
and associates, and not by his foes. Most certainly not by SARS or any police
unit or operative. He was shot at Elimgbu by pipeline, not too far from his
residence along Court Road, Port Harcourt and not in Bori in Khana LGA, as
alleged.
“The bullet that landed Dr. Gberegbe in the
hospital was not fired from the barrel of a police riffle, but from the mouth
of a locally fabricated pistol. He did not die from gunshot injury, but from
cardiopulmonary arrest (heart attack) accentuated by food poisoning.
“He was a well and healthy man on the day he
died. He died on March 16, 2019 at exactly 10:05 p.m., with a bowl of poisoned
food in his hands. He shouted for help in the middle of a meal and gave up the
ghost and that ended a long drama in which he had joined to write the script,
intended by all the conspirators to cover up a huge fraud in which thieves
without honour decided to outwit one another and enjoy a booty meant for many
party faithful.
“Dr. Gberegbe was a leading member of Deywell
cult gang. During the March 9, 2019 governorship election, his role was to
coordinate and supervise the various cult groups in their assigned roles. The
money for all the cult groups, running into several millions of naira, was
handed over to him for disbursement to relevant actors. It was his attempt to
outmaneuver members of his group that led to his death.”
Mother who sold
her baby for N600,000 to buy a phone and wrapper arrested by police in Imo State
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Imo
State Police Command has arrested a 27-year-old single mother, Nneka Donatus,
who allegedly sold her baby girl a day after putting to bed.
Also arrested were a level 12 civil servant
at the state Ministry of Women Affairs, Ujunwa Udechukwu, 40; and Nneoma
Onwusereaka, 37; who allegedly conspired with the single mother to sell the
baby to a couple.
The mother of the baby, who spoke to Southern
City News at the command headquarters in Owerri on Thursday, confessed that she
used part of the proceeds to buy a phone, wrapper and slippers for herself.
She said that she was not ready to keep
the baby girl having given birth to five children already. She explained that
while she bought a phone, wrapper and slippers for herself, she wanted to use
what remained of the money to start a business.
The woman, who spoke in her native dialect,
said, “I sold my baby girl for N600,000 and used N15,000 from the money to buy
a phone, wrapper and slippers and transported myself back home. I asked Nneoma
Onwusereaka and her husband, who had the balance to use it to start a business
for me. I have five children already and I am separated from my former
husband.”
A civil servant, who was arrested in connection
with the crime, said she was rewarded with N10,000 for connecting the buyer
with the seller. The 40-year-old civil servant admitted that she made a
mistake, adding that the N10,000 was paid into her account the following day.
A police source told our correspondent that while the single mother put
to bed on March 28, the day old baby was sold for N600,000 on March 29 at
Ezinachi in the Okigwe LGA of Imo State.
According to the reports, the mother of the
woman who sold the baby reported the matter to SARS operatives after the lady
returned home without the newborn baby. The suspects were arrested at
different locations in the state after some SARS personnel, led by their
Commander, Victor Godfrey, activated the operational strategies of the unit.
