She is a well to do Nigerian lady living in Las Palmas, Spain. The Edo State born lady had travelled to Nigeria in April 2013 and unknown to her, fate had a bitter package for her as she never returned to Spain the same again. The once beautiful lady was bathed with acid on her face and body while in Nigeria by an assailant she alleges her husband, Kingsley Ojugberu, paid to harm her. While the doctors are still battling to save her life in Spain, our Special Correspondent in Spain, Uchendu Precious Onuoha, got in contact with her through the Nigerian Embassy and she narrated her pathetic story. 

When did you come to Spain?

The year 2000

Since then you have been living in Las Palmas?

I lived in Madrid for about a year and five months after which I came to Las Palmas.

When did you get married and with who?

That was in 2008 and with Kingsley Ojugberu

You met here or in Nigeria?

I met him in Nigeria. And it was through a friend of mine that worked together with me in my place of work and later went back to Nigeria. It happened that he was living in the same house where Kingsley lived, and he helped her. It was in that process that my friend informed me that there is a young man who saw your pictures and said he would like to talk to you. She connected us and from there we started interacting on phone until 2008 we met and got married in Lagos through the court.

When did he join you here in Spain?

In 2010, and it was not easy because I went through a lot of process which took almost one year before I succeeded to secure visa and travel documents for him to join me.

How many children do you have?

Just this girl (pointing to her daughter by her side); she just completed four years.

How was your relationship with your husband before this incident?

After he joined me in 2010 we were living fine, but we didn’t really live long as we were almost three years together before this incident.

When did this incident happen and what actually led to that?

It happened on April 20, 2013. Living together was good during the first two years. Within this period I was helping him right from Nigeria as things were not okay with him. I can say I am a successful person; I have got a lot of properties in Nigeria and here before we met and he came here. As we were living together as husband and wife, I put his name in two of my properties in Lagos. But the ones in Benin and others I did not put his name.

I buy and send goods to Nigeria, and about a year and four months before we went to Nigeria I sent a bus with goods to Nigeria, and it was cleared and sold by his brother and when I asked for the money, he could not be account for it. And I discovered that other things were going wrong as I found out that huge sums of money has been removed from the joint account we have with First Bank in Lagos. He had the account before and my name was added and I saved money in the account. And his brother also duped me of about one million naira in the house I bought in Shasha Lagos.

As a husband, I trusted him and kept my money with him, until I got to Nigeria and found out that things were going wrong as a lot of money have been taken from the account without my knowledge. I confronted him on that, and that led to an argument and I went to a doctor in Lagos he introduced to me as his uncle and reported to him. When we came back to Spain, I told him this is not going to be, because I found out now that everything I own is on him. I let him realise how I have helped him, even two of his brothers, I spent my money to bring them to Spain. And after all these they are still eating my money in Nigeria. Then we had a quarrel. And I decided to go Nigeria to change his name from the properties and the house in Shasha, which the payment was going through his account and open a new account to transfer the payment. While in Lagos, I went to the bank to withdraw money, the bank refused me saying that my husband made a call to the bank instructing that they should not release money from the account to me. And he knew that the money in the account is what I was meant to use in Nigeria.

I called him and he said no that he did not call the bank, and I told him that the bank is not lying that I was there and it is written on the screen, he cut the call. I was stranded. I managed to move down to Benin to tell my parents. My mother said she could not handle that alone. We contacted my uncle who suggested introducing me to a lawyer in Lagos to help me. Before travelling to Lagos I decided to do my hair in a salon near my uncle’s house and while there a boy walked in and my attention was drawn to the way he tied his hair with a piece of Rasta insignia. He said he was looking for somebody and as I raised my face, he stepped closer and splashed something on my face and body and dashed out immediately.

I felt horrible pains over my body and was rushed to a hospital. And the first hospital said they cannot treat my case and referred me to UBTH (University of Benin Teaching Hospital) where they could only administer pain reliefs and I heard the doctors saying that I would die if they keep me there that the best solution is to take me abroad for the treatment. When the doctor learnt I was living abroad, they invited the police to the hospital and a police report was prepared and arrangement was made to take me to Lagos and back to Spain.

How long did it take for you to come back to Spain after the incident?

Luckily for me, two days after I was flown back to Spain and from the airport straight to the hospital.

How have you been undergoing the treatment since then?

I must say that the Spanish doctors have tried a lot; I spent about three months in the first phase of the treatment at the hospital. I have done the first skin operation where they removed all the affected skins and replaced with other skins to cover up the body. They did not work much on the face.

Was the whole body affected?

No; from my chest upward.

What was your husband’s reaction when he was informed and how?

According to my sisters, that very Saturday, he woke them up at about 8 am asking them if they have heard from their sister. He told them to call me because he has a feeling that something bad has happened to me. Two hours later my mum called telling them that I have had an acid attack. And because of what he told them two hours back, they went and confronted him that he has succeeded in harming their sister and they quarreled. So that was how he knew. When I returned to Spain, I was taken straight to the hospital and I did not tell anybody. And at the hospital they asked me what happened to me. I told them that it happened in Nigeria. It was from the hospital that I called to inform my sisters that I was in Spain and that one of them should come and from there the news spread.

Did he come to the hospital?

He came to the hospital but my sisters did not allow him in.

So he was prevented from seeing you? 

I later opened up to the nurses what happened and that I don’t want him to see me. And they invited the press who felt much concern how I managed to bear the pains without treatment from Nigeria to Spain.

Since then has he seen you?

Yes he saw me in the hospital once. He came to the hospital and was dragging with the nurses and eventually they let him in. But when he saw me he didn’t talk and they have to walk him out. That was how he saw me before they got him arrested after sometime. When the press came, they asked to know if I was having dispute with anybody and I told them he was the number one suspect.

He was arrested after he visited you at the hospital?

Yes, two days after because a civil defence security agent who knows me came to my shop and asked my sisters about me and they told him that I was in the hospital and he asked to know why I was in the hospital, my sister told him what happened to me in Nigeria. He was annoyed and reported the matter to the police. So that was how the police came in and have to protect my daughter and sisters because as I was inside, I am not sure of what could happen next and what his plans were.

After he was arrested did you make any allegation?

The police came to me at the hospital and I told them everything that happened. He threatened me, telling me that he is a black axe, that if I eventually separate from him, he will kill me. These were the threats. Though, I didn’t take them seriously because I thought he could not go to that extent. I so much trusted him because I thought that even if something happen and we have to separate he would not harm me because I have helped him a lot.

Perhaps they would have let him out but because of his declaration that an uncle whom I presented him to in Benin wanted to marry me and that is why the wives planned and attacked me with acid. And the question is how did he know that?

Has this matter gone to court?

Yes the matter has gone to court here in Spain but the one in Nigeria I don’t have the strength now. After investigations, they sentenced him for what was done here, like beating my sister. He was sentenced to two years and banned from coming close to me for five years. But my concern is Nigeria as I don’t have anybody except my old mother and she can’t do much.

What was the reaction of his family down home over this incident?

As I am talking to you now, I have not heard from any member of his family down home. Even the doctor he claimed to be his uncle has not called me or contacted my family. Two of his brothers I helped bring to Spain used to call but the police said I should avoid further stress. As at now, I don’t even know his family in Nigeria.

You did not have traditional marriage?

No traditional marriage only court wedding in Lagos

What has the Nigerian Embassy in Spain done to help you?

The Nigerian Embassy was contacted through the help of Nigerian community here; also the court here asked me to do that so that the embassy will intervene to protect my money in the bank and other properties in Nigeria. The embassy officials came immediately to see me, also visited Kingsley (her husband) in the prison. And they have contacted the bank in Nigeria and they were told what to do. And I am very happy for the help and concern the embassy has shown over my plight.

You run a shop here?

Yes, an African shop

Is it in your name?

Yes, for one year I registered it in his name, but when we started having dispute I removed his name but the rent remained on his name until last month.

What further plan do you have for your treatment?

I have gone to see a specialist and we have settled about the plastic surgery.

How much is that likely to cost?

That would cost about 43,000 euros. About eight million and six hundred thousand Naira (N8.6 million)

What else do you have to say?

The only thing I say is that I want him to leave me alone and go on his own without hurting me and my daughter. I want my family, money and properties to be protected. I would like to have my properties without fighting. And I don’t want that to cost my life or that of any member of my family.

The post ‘The man I loved and trusted bath me with acid’ appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu -  Lagos

 Six suspects are telling the police in Lagos State all they know about the robbery attack on a Lagos-based pastor. They are also

Robbery Suspects

telling the police how the car snatched from the pastor got to suspected receivers of stolen goods.
The six suspects arrested and detained at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command are Monday Patrick, Michael Adeagbo and Ismaila Kazeem (alias Asumo) who were alleged to be behind the attack.
Those alleged to have received the pastor’s stolen car and some other stolen cars are Odu John, Promise Woke and Ifeoluwa Coker.
They were arrested for alleged conspircy and armed robbery as well as receiving stolen vehicles.
Pastor Lawal Adesoye Zacheous of Unity Estate, Igando, Lagos, had on 26 May 2014, at about 8:15 p.m.  reported a case of armed robbery and dispossession of property including a car to the police, following which the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Umar Manko, directed Kyari to ensure that the robbers were arrested and the robbed vehicles recovered.

The pastor had alleged that while he was driving into his house, he was attacked by two armed men, who took over his car, put him at the back seat and drove to LASU Road, where they pushed him out of the  car, and drove the vehicle to an unknown  destination. He then reported the case at Idimu division of Lagos State Police Command before it was transferred to SARS.

On 30 June, Kyari who was tracking the robbed car got information, which led him and his team to a house on Emmanuel Street, Oko Filling area of Igando, and a search in the house led to the arrest of Monday Patrick and Michael Adeagbo. The search also led to the recovery of two pairs of army uniform and a black bag containing the documents of the robbed cars. Also recovered was a locally made double barrel cut-to-size gun.

During interrogation, Adeagbo confessed that he and Ismail Kareem (aka Asumo) carried out the robbery and that the car was with Kareem. Kareem, who was arrested at Iyana Oworo area of Lagos, then revealed that Adeagbo is a member of his gang and that one John Odu was received the Toyota Camry snatched from the pastor.

SARS went after Odu and arrested him at Ikotun while trying to receive another robbed vehicle from the same Asumo. He confessed to having received the vehicle and sold it to a customer in Port Harcourt, Promise Woke, from whom the police later recovered the car.

Asumo claimed he sold another Toyota Camry to one Desmond Inwerem and Ifeoluwa Coker. Desmond is still at large. Patrick whose house was combed prior to the arrests lived in his late father’s house while the arms used for the operation was recovered from his house.

When SARS stormed the house, they first saw a Bible bearing the name of the pastor, which was a handy clue to what they were looking for.

The suspects’ confessions

Monday Patrick: I was born in 1982; I’m from Akoko Edo in Edo State. I’m a fashion designer. I knew Michael when he came to my shop. He came to my shop with a black bag, which he asked me to keep for him. After two days, I opened the bag and saw a gun inside. I waited for him for two days and I did not see him. After two days, the police came to arrest me. My shop is in my house. I’m married with one child.

I smoke Indian hemp. If he brings cloth to me to sew, at times he gives me money and phones. He rides Okada. He had given phones to me like twice. I did not know he is a robber. When I saw the Bible, I kept it in my shop because it is very big and I like it.

Micahel Adeagbo (25): I’m from Ile-Ife, Osun State. I’m single. I live at 27, Emmanuel Street, Governor Road, Ikotun.
I am an Okada rider, I was in prison for the first time because somebody gave me bike for hire purchase and robbers snatched it. I spent one year in Kirikiri Medium Prison.

As the pastor was coming from work, I and Asumo followed him because we were already in the street, the pastor came down to open the gate we and forced him into the car. We used only one gun. I brought the gun from Ife. As we snatched the vehicle, Asumo collected the car, sold it and did not give me any money.

We have stolen laptops four times, handsets and gold. Myself, Lucky and Kunle did that job. Lucky died in operation. Kunle is in prison now. I smoke Indian hemp once a day. It was in prison I learnt about robbery. I feel bad being arrested.

Ismaila Kareem aka Asumo (27): I am married with a girl child.

I’m from Okitipupa, Ondo  State. I live in Okoafo area of Badagry, Lagos. I knew Michael while we were riding Okada at Oshodi.

As we saw the pastor open the gate, Michael showed him the gun, and took the man inside the car. I drove the car. He put him in the back seat. We dropped him at Igando.
We have snatched one Jeep at Festac. We, myself, Michael and Kunle, used a ceiling fan pipe as gun (not real gun) in that operation but police recovered the car. I was doing firework in Seme when Michael informed me that he had gone to his village to bring a gun. It took me about a week before I sold the pastor’s car because Michael did not want us to sell the car. He wanted us to be using it for operation. I sold the Camry for N290,000. I did not give him any share because I believed there was money in the two bags he removed from the car, which he did not disclose to me.

I was arrested at Iyana Oworo when he called to tell me that there was another car to be sold. I used the money to pay for rent and buy household properties. I was sent to prison for snatching phones at Victoria Island while operating on Okada.

I spent 2 years and 3 months in prison. I was later discharged and acquitted.

Alleged buyer/receivers’ confessions

Odu John (39): I am from Ahoada, Rivers State; I’m married with four kids. I was working with a construction company, Dredging Atlantic, in Port Harcourt. The job terminated in 2010. Police arrested me in connection with pastor’s vehicle. Asumo brought the car to me to buy. I knew him through Kehinde. I have bought two cars from him. I’m aware that the cars he brought were stolen cars.

I bought the pastor’s car for N290,000. The previous one, also  Camry car, I bought for N180,000. I resold the one of N290,000 for N400,000 and the one of N180,000 for N280,000. I live in No. 1 Dele Street, Ikotun.

I relocated to Lagos in March this year. I knew Kehinde in a restaurant. I have not done this business before. I’m a 2011 graduate of zoology from Uniport and did my PGD in management sciences.

Promise Woke (36): I’m from Ikwere, Rivers State. I sell juice because I registered with Chivita. I’m married with four children. I live in my own house at Ikwere. Odu sold the car to me. The particulars of the pastor were in the car. He told me he wanted to sell the car for N600,000. He said his friend who works with Customs had a problem and wanted to sell the car.

So I brought my elder brother to help negotiate, so I bought it for N400,000. I knew him while we were in primary school, we met sometime ago in Port Harcourt and exchanged numbers. I did not know the car was stolen. I am an innocent buyer.

Ifeoluwa Coker (28), graduate of biology education from Federal University of Technology, Akure, said: Desmond has been my guardian right from when I was in the university. We attend the same church even though I belong to Buccaneer cult. I was arrested in respect of a Toyota Camry car Desmond instructed me to receive on behalf of a church member which he helped to purchase, and as he was not in town but travelled, when they brought the car for delivery, he called me on phone to help take them to our member in the church. I joined cult in 2002. I was threatened to join because I assisted them in carrying out assignments in the school.

Desmond called and informed me that someone was bringing a car from Cotonou. He did not tell me the person. He was not in Akure that time because we are together in Akure Ondo State. He sent the number through sms, and I called the number, and when he got to Akure, I went there to receive the car on Desmond’s behalf.

The car was not registered. Desmond was to deliver it to a church member who had made part payment for the car. He directed us to meet the man and the man liked it.

The post How we robbed pastor – Suspects appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Emmanuel Udom  -    Snr Correspondent, Lagos

Six students suspected to be Internet fraudsters are presently in police net in Lagos. The police say the students from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), allegedly designed a fake website of a foreign body, where unsuspecting Nigerians seeking foreign scholarships were swindled.

Ngozi Isintume-Agu, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspects successfully designed a fake website of OPEC Fund for International Development with OFID name and logo, where applicants in Nigeria were requested to pay N2,500 to be eligible for scholarships offered by the international body.

According to Isintume-Agu, who is also the public relations officer, Police Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos, the attention of police detectives were drawn to the matter through a petition dated August 22, where the genuine OPEC Fund disclosed that its website has been faked where innocent Nigerian applicants have been defrauded.

Checks by our correspondent revealed that the applicants were requested to pay N2,500, as application, fee into the following accounts: First Bank Account No: 2020874607 and Access Bank Account No: 0056941009 with the name OFID WSAS NG.

More than 2,000 applicants responded and paid the money into these two accounts, which the police image-maker said amounted to some N5million.

However, curious, one of the applicants, months later contacted OPEC Fund, through his facebook account and the body had to petition the Lagos SFU cyber crime section.

Based on the petition, SFU police detectives moved into action and after some days tracked down one Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde.

When drilled by the police, Ayotunde revealed five other members of the syndicate, who were accordingly tracked.  Our correspondent gathered that Ayotunde is a 25-year-old 500-level student of estate management at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

The suspect confessed that he designed the fake website in June 2012 and also opened the two bank accounts for the site into which the applicants paid the money.

The second suspect, Asaolu Victor (25), is an indigene of Ilesha in Osun State. A graduate of mining engineering from the same university confessed to police detectives that he was paid N80,000 to paste  posters online.

Emmanuel Awote Temitope (27), a 500-leval estate management student of the same university, stood as guarantor for the accounts and for his efforts, he got N70,000, even as he confessed that he knew from the first day that the whole project was a scam.

Fajobi Olalekan (27) from Lagos State graduated as a mechanical engineer from the same university. Currently, the police say he is working with Dee Xecutor Concept in Lagos.

Olalekan lived in the same lodge with Ayotunde, while in school and independent checks reveal that he was fully involved in the designing of a fake scholarship website known as EDIADS.

This put him on a better pedestal, when the OPEC Fund website was to be designed, though he confessed that he was paid a meagre N32,000 for his efforts.

Bola Latiri Onaopemipo (25), currently a handset dealer in Lagos, was designed the name and logo for the fake site. He got N12,000 for his efforts.

The last suspect, Adebomi Oluwatosin, also a graduate of FUTA, and an employee of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, where he is a programmer, confessed to the police that he was given N10,000 when the deal clicked.

Efforts made by Saturday Independent to contact FUTA authorities for official comments on the issue proved abortive. When our correspondent logged into the www.futa.edu.ng, the official website of the university, there was no portion for contact, where the phone numbers and email address of the institution could be.

The post Police arrest six FUTA students over N5m Yahoo deal appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu  -  Correspondent, Lagos

Since the police in Lagos beamed its searchlight on human parts dealers, several persons mainly native doctors, herbalists, cemetery workers, Islamic clerics and hospital workers have come under scrutiny.

Omodije (left), Saludeen (middle) and Saliu with the human skull

In fact, hardly does any week pass without arrest of suspects in connection with human parts trade.
Last week, on the orders of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, a cemetery worker, Omodije Clement, and two Alfas, Owolabi Salaudeen and Usman Saliu, were arrested with a fairly fresh human skull, as the oil on the skull and open teeth of the deceased were visible.
Following a tip-off, Manko mandated the officer-in-charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, to go after the suspects.
Subsequently, the three men were arrested at the weekend.

Omodije’s confessions:

“My name is Omodije Clement; I am 54 years old. I am married with three children. I have only one wife. I am a Christian but I don’t attend any church. I was formerly attending Catholic Church, but I don’t attend any longer. I am from Ekpoma in Edo State and I live at Odofin Street, Igbogbo in Ikorodu. It is a new area and the house has no number.
“I work in Igbogbo cemetery. I have worked there for five years now. My salary is N22,000 per month. I was employed by Igbogbo Bayeku Local Council Development Area of Ikorodu Lagos. Before then, I was molding blocks for a living.
“Police arrested me on 23 July 2014. It was because of the human skull I gave to Owolabi. When he was arrested, he brought the police to arrest me.

I sold the skull to him for N4,000. I have sold skull to him twice, one was last year and one this year.

It was dry skull that I sold to him

“I met him around our cemetery when I was going to buy food last year. He told me that he is an Alfa, that he needed human skull to prepare medicine. I told him I do not do things like that. He approached me again and even came to my house to convince me that he is an alfa and not a policeman.
“So I decided to give him a human skull dug out of the grave in the cemetery where I worked. I got the skull from the grave that is not permanent and kept it in the bush for sometime because I did not know the alfa’s house or where to locate him. So when I saw him, I told him that I have seen what he requested for. That was how I gave it to him.

“We are four in number, but the other workers did not know about it. It was only myself that transacted the business. I am not happy at all for involving myself in this mess.”

Salaudeen’s confession:

“My name is Owolabi Salaudeen. I am 43 years old. I live at Gbogbo area of Ikorodu. I am from Oke-Afin, Oyo State. I am married with four children. I have one wife. I am an alfa and native doctor. But I am not registered.
“The police arrested me at Igbogbo, Ikorodu. They first arrested Saliu and he brought them to arrest me. I was arrested because of human skull business. I got the human skull from the man working in a cemetery. His name is Clement.

“I have collected human skull twice from him. I mix it with soap and herbs and use it to bath. I use it for myself and my children and customers. I started the business last year, but I have been a native doctor for 13 years. I bought the skull for N4,000 each. The soap is for good luck. You can mix it with powder too and rob.

Saliu’s confession:

“I am Usman Saliu, I am 31 years old, married with four children; I have one wife. I live at Barafa area of Ikorodu and I am from Inisa, Osun State.
“Police arrested me because I went to an Alfa to prepare medicine to make money. I am also an Alfa and teach in an Arabic school at Barafa. One of my friends wanted me to prepare medicine for him. Later, one friend called Sina told us that he went to one Baba for ritual medicine, and he told him to bring human head. So he met us for help in getting the human head. After six months, Sina called me and asked how far and I told him I would call my friend. So Sina sent somebody with N15,000 to give me and my friend for the head.
That night, Owolabi told me it was ready and that I should call the person. That we should meet at Igbogbo Bus Stop. When I got there, I saw Owolabi and the cemetery man and Owolabi handed over the skull to me.

“It was the third day that Sina and the person to buy it came to meet me. They gave me N5,000 and carried the skull. Three days later, they called to find out where I was, I told them I was at home. They asked me to come and meet them somewhere to collect the balance of my money. As I came, they opened the door of the car and asked me to come in. As I entered, they said I was under arrest.”

The post Cemetery worker, two Alfas held for trading in human heads appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu  -  Correspondent, Lagos

A suspected fake soldier, Benjamin Ifada, is being quizzed by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for not only parading himself as a military personnel, but also approached the police at divisional level to buy arms and ammunition.

Ifada with the pistols and other items recovered from him

The Commissioner of Police Lagos State Police Command, Umar Manko, and the officer-in-charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, who are interrogating the suspect, are trying to establish the motive behind the suspect’s bid to acquire arms and ammunition.
The suspect who goes by the appellation Capt. Benjamin IMH Ifada (rtd) with the British Army Regiment Home Office, Great Britain, was arrested when he approached the armourer at Idimu Police Station to buy arms and ammunition.
When his house was searched, incriminating items including a walkie talkie, a United Bank for Africa (UBA) seal, one leaf of Sky Bank cheque of N300,000 issued in favour of Benjamin Ifada since last year as well as full military uniform were recovered.

Following his arrest at Idimu Police Station, CP Manko ordered that the he be transferred to SARS for further investigation as a suspected armed robber.

Saturday Independent investigation revealed that for almost a year now, the suspect had been visiting Idimu Police Station pretending to be a retired military officer and a friend to the Idimu Divisional Police Officer.
He was said to have always come to greet the DPO, so he made friends with policemen in the division. Recently, he was said to have approached the Divisional Armourer and told him he wanted to buy AK 47 rifles. The armourer was said to have refused to oblige him. Two months later, he came to the armourer and asked for pistols.

The armourer was said to have alerted the DPO, who in turn alerted the CP. The suspect late sent a text message to the armourer, asking how much he could sell the pistols. They agreed N150,000 for one pistol. He then asked the armourer if where he kept the pistols was okay and safe for collection, to which the armourer answered in the affirmative.

The retired captain was said to have then entered and selected revolver and berretta pistols in the armoury, and as he was inspecting them, he was arrested.

A search was immediately conducted in his house and forged documents were recovered at his house 31, Idowu Alimo Street, Idimu Road. Also recovered were police a belt, a walkie-talkie, two ATM cards and N20,000 cash. He was said to have confessed that he was sent by his friend, one Mr. Kalu who gave him  a cheque of N300,000 to buy pistols. Police said efforts were in progress to arrest Kalu.

In his confession, he said: “I am Benjamin Ifada, of 31, Idowu Alimi Street, Idimu Lagos. I am 54 years old from Ishan, Edo State. I’m married with children. I’m into security equipment. I made the ID myself; it is just to work my way through always. I love to be a captain, I have not used it to do anything negative.

“I told the DPO I was a retired Captain. I went there with my business name Jet L. Technologies Ltd. Kalu first gave me N50,000 advance.

“I knew Kalu on the street while passing in Gowon Estate one day saw so many people. I asked people and they said he is building  a hotel there.  I waited with them to know the man so I could do business with him. When I met him I told him I do electric fencing and install security camera. So he said he would take me to his house in Lekki. He asked if I’m a Christian and I said yes. He signed a cheque of N50,000, saying he is sowing a seed for me.”

When asked about the N300,000 cheque dated August 2013 found in his house, he said “Kalu
gave me the cheque and said that as soon as I acquire the gun for him, I should cash the cheque.”

The post Fake soldier nabbed trying to buy arms from police appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

•Law must take its course, says CP

By Ajibola Abayomi  -  News Editor

On 13 June this year, when a 5-man armed gang led by Abuede Solomon kidnapped 23 years old medical doctor, Ehikhuemen Terry Akhere, who recently graduated from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and raped to comma, 18 years old lady, Sandra Uduimoh, a student of the same institution, they never thought that apart from meeting their waterloo, that nemesis was around the corner.

Having led others to murder Ehikhumen after snatching his Infinity FX 35 Jeep with registration number EFR 218 FV and other valuables that include ATM card and three mobile phones, and later went on to force Sandra to lose her virginity, it never occurred to Abuede in particular that he had murdered sleep.

For weeks, now the ghost of the late doctor has continued to torment the gang leader both night and day in the police’s custody for cutting him down at his prime.

According to Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, he said, he was speechless and lacked words to condole the deceased’s father and his twin brother, Ehikhuemen Emmanuel, when both broke down in tears at his office.

“The human in me was weak. As a father, I was touched that such wicked act could be perpetrated in our society just because some overzealous youths wanted money at all cost. When I met the deceased’s relatives in my office days ago, I felt their pains.” he said.

During an encounter with Saturday Independent at the Criminal Investigation Unit of Edo State Police Command where the suspects are being held, Abuede, who until five months ago before he took to kidnapping was an Okada rider (commercial motor cycle operator), lamented that he has been having sleepless nights at the detention for weeks.

He could not hold back his guilt as he narrated how he was being haunted by the ghost of the deceased.

The suspect who combines both English and pidgin during the encounter recalled: “The guy (Ehikhuemen) don appear in my dream more than 14 times. At a point, he wore black gown and beckoned at me.  Each time, I attempted to ask for his forgiveness, he go disappear.”

 “I dey see am physically sef apart from my dream. I don see am face to face with my eyes open on many occasions.  On Sunday and Monday, in a broad day light, he pointed fingers at me while putting on white cap. What I now noticed since Monday was that each time, I pleaded for forgiveness, and he now listens to me unlike before. I am really being troubled. Him no dey talk o, he go just dey point me.”

“After that, he don come again wearing white shot and singlet. Before I no dey believe say if person kill any man,  he fit come talk to the person wey kill am but this one I see am kokoro with my own eyes. He put on white cap. I know no whether others they see am for their cell but I dey see am o. Make God forgive me, I don sin, the boy spirit still dey pursue me.”

Asked how the deceased and lady were trapped, he said “on that day, we were looking for car to snatch and we came across them. We had been told by our boss, Monday Ezomon who had since eloped that each time we come across vehicle with tracker, we should injure or kill the owner in order to avoid being traced after.”

The 24 years old suspect who hails from Ugbegun-Nebudin Village, Esan Central Local Government, Edo State,  added that “three of us beat him (Ehikhuemen) and later drawn him in a well at one uncompleted building in Ekpoma. No be only me raped the girl, three of us fuck am. I know what I did was bad. I am asking for forgiveness. We later dropped the car at Torino Hotel, Ekpoma after spending the night with the girl and sold the car for N500, 000. I was picked up at Ekpoma while attending a burial by the police officers after one month.” 

“Please, I am confessing the truth so that police can forgive me. Since, I was arrested; I have given my life to Christ. I know the nature of crime I committed. I am begging for forgiveness from the victim’s family even though I know it is not easy to be forgiven. I had pleaded with police that before they detained us that Monday Ezomon should be arrested too because he will be somewhere now watching us on television and reading our story in the newspaper. If I am released, I will thank God, the family of the deceased and the police commissioner for the favour and be useful to almighty God” he said.

A mild dram however ensued when his other accomplices James Monday, 27, Kelvin Edward, 24 and Sunday Oviasogie (61) were charting with our reporter as they contradicted one another in their submissions.

While Abuede claimed that they all dragged the deceased to the well after he was beaten to comma, James, a  Nangash born from Riom Local Government in Plateau State countered that “my hand no dey, I only fuck the girl and after that everybody enter the girl well well. Yes, we beat the boy, but nobi mi throw am for well, na Abuede. If na mi kill am, why he no appear for my dream? He asked.

As an orphan, he said he found his way to Ekpoma on his own years ago as an Okada rider, and joined the kidnap gang this year due to frustration he said was occasioned by the devil. He however did not deny nor agreed that his brother equipped the gang with cutlass and local pistol they used for their operations as alleged by Abuede.

Similarly, Kelvin who blamed the devil for his involvement said he was not responsible for the death of the deceased but confessed to be an active member of the gang for months and that he participated fully in the kidnapping incident.

In his brief submission, he said: “On getting to Fidelity Bank at Ekpoma, we noticed it was wrong pin number that he (the deceased) gave to us. It was one of us that bought poison (rat medicine) which we used to poison the victim before he died.  Abuede was the one who  threw the victim inside a well of the water at the uncompleted building in Ekpoma.”

The 61 years old car dealer, Sunday Oviasogie, father of six who bought the stolen Infinity Jeep denied being a member of the gang but however admitted that he had been transacting illicit businesses with them for sometimes.

“I am ashamed of myself that at this age, my children will be reading about my involvement in this shameful deal. I was a trailer driver. I started driving trailer in 1972 but had to quit in 1973 due to an accident. I later returned to my familiar terrain in 2010 when I regained fitness using pickup van to transport tomatoes to Sokoto, Maiduguri and other states from Benin. I sold the Infinity Jeep I bought from Ezomon to one Alhaji Saidu who is based in Kano for N500, 000.”

“My life is terrible now devil has put me to shame. I have sold several cars both within and outside the country. I have never made monetary gains from the business” Oviasogie lamented.

Although, he claimed he only bought genuine cars, but on the other hand, police submission proved contrary.

According to the police findings, the man who uses ‘Alhaji’ and ‘Epa’ as business names to hide his identity has been transacting illegal business for over 15 years and had received over 100 exotic cars from kidnappers in Delta, Edo States and beyond sold at cheap rate for ready buyers who ferry the cars to Niger, Cameroon and other African countries.

The suspect, an indigene of Ugieghudun in Uhunmwoded Local Government, Edo state was trailed to Kano where he was eventually arrested and brought to Benin after attempts to get him within Edo State failed.

He admitted in his confessional statement with the police that the Kano based Alhaji he sold the Infinity Jeep to, gave him an advance payment of N420.000 “and promised to pay the balance at later date. Out of the said N420.000, I gave Monday Ezomon and James N245, 000. I am aware that these cars I received from Monday Ezomon and his friends were snatched cars.”

The gang according to police was tracked and arrested with the aid of Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools due to the sophisticated nature of their operations, and had allegedly carried out three robberies and kidnapping incidents in the state.

Commenting further, the police commissioner, said “I am aware of Abuede’s claim that he was being tormented by ghost of the decease. Yes, he has been lamenting but police station is not a spiritual center. The law is very clear.  They have to face the consequences of their actions at the court where their fate will be determined. We will do everything possible to arrest those at large and prosecute them accordingly after interrogation”.

The post Ghost visits Edo police cell, haunts murder suspect appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Ajibola Abayomi –  News Editor

Perhaps, this will serve as an eye opener to cab operators and other innocent Nigerians to be wary of suspecting offers from unsuspecting criminals attempting to capiterlise on their innocence.

The story of 61 years old, Sir Rufus Guobadia, a cab operator in Benin City is a didactic that worth leaning from.

Joseph Okoide (right) and Samuel Aiyegbeni

On 30^th, April, 2014, he was approached by a young man identified as Oseni Baba who requested him to assist to bring his sick mother to Central Hospital in Benin for medical attention from Auchi for a fee.

They both agreed for N15, 000 and set for the journey after an advance payment of N7, 000 was paid.

As both men approached Auchi Polygenic Road, the cab man was asked to pack at a nearby junction to enable Oseni picked his brother who was waiting by the road side.

As the car stopped to pick the fellow, Rufus was dump folded when suddenly his passenger pulled a gun on his head and ordered him out of the car.

He was dispossessed of his two mobile phones and a sum of N11, 000. The driver was later led to a bush where he was held hostage for several hours with his Toyota Camry Saloon car with registration number GBZ 201 AA.

He was lucky to escape from the kidnappers den with a gunshot injury he sustained on his buttock. Thereafter, he reported the matter at Auchi Police Station.

As if that was not enough, days after the incident, his abductors started pestering him to deposit a sum of N200.000 into an account number 2046778457 at United Bank for Africa (UBA) in Uromi owned by one Lucky Abu or risked being killed.

As gathered, one of the suspects, Samuel Aiyegbeni obtained the account details from Abu, a member of his church fooling him that he was expecting some money from a business partner.

Having realised that his bank details were obtained for fraudulent intent, Abu hurried reported the matter to the police.

When the police stepped into the matter, N200, 000 paid into the account.  Samuel was subsequently lured to the bank and was arrested in the process.

Not only that, one of his alleged business associates, Joseph Okoide, an herbalist, who according to the police has been receiving stolen cars from the gang was equally arrested. However when confronted with questions at Edo State Police Headquarters, Benin, Okoide, 21, from Ubiaja Village, Esan Central Local Government, Edo State denied being a member of the gang.

“My family members are yet to even know that I have been arrested. I only told a friend that I needed a car and Solomon was introduced to me. I bought a Toyota Camry from him and his friend at the sum of N350, 000. I never knew him before the transaction.”

“I was in at home when police came to arrest me. I bought two cars from them and that was the only thing between us. I borrowed money to upgrade one of the cars and was forced to offer it for sale when the people  mounted pressure on me to refund the money” Okoide stated when narrating his own account during exclusive interview with our reporter.

When engaged, Samuel, 26, from Anegbette Village, Etsako Central Local Government in the state, has these to say: “I am based in Ibadan. It was one of my brothers, Oseni Baba that introduced me to kidnapping and robbery. He told me about the latest tricks and offered me a gun with which I have been snatching cars.”

“He was the one who went to the car pack in Benin and deceived the cab operator that his mum was having health challenges in Auchi and asked me to wait by the road side after we had perfected the deal.”

“I don’t even know how to drive a car. He was the one that drove the snatched cars to buyers and after that the documentation process for the vehicles will commence. I don’t know the herbalist. I have never had any dealing with him before the transaction. It was one of my friends whom he assisted to get over his spiritual challenges that introduced him to me that he needed a car.”

“I gave him my ‘s mobile number and the transaction was effected. Okoide paid us N350 for the first car he bought from us. He later asked that we get him another vehicle because the first vehicle he bought was given him problem. We normally tricked our victims with different stories apart from faking heath challenges to lure them to our trap.”

“Please, I have a confession to make since I have given my life to Christ as a result of preaching at the detention by some clerics. The herbalist is not one of us. I  implicated him in my statement with the police because he is yet to balance me the money we agreed on the second car he bought. So he is innocent. He never knew we were stealing cars.”

“Oseni Baba was the one that forced the cab man into the bush with gun and drove the vehicle away while I busied myself searching and dispossessing him of his two mobile phones, one was Samsung and the other one was Techno product. I also took N11, 000 from him.”

“He was driven to a bush and I was asked to guard him with a pistol while Oseni drove the car away. The victim while in the bush capiterlised on my mistake while urinating. He took to his heels then I shot at his buttocks but he kept running and eventually escaped with bullet wounds.”

“My gang leader is married and lives at No 51 Adesuagbon Street, off Okhoro Road, Benin City with his wife. But from what I gathered after police officers went to his base, he has travelled out of the country after the incident to avoid being arrested. ”

Further investigation from the police which Solomon corroborated indicated that several innocent indigenes of state and its environs had fallen victims of the gang.

After weeks of surveillance, Edo police anti crime officers were able to recover Goubadia’s Toyata Camry Car with registration number GBZ 201 AA initially in black colour but now painted in Grey with new registration number AAA 457 CW at the resident of one Ezewele Eromosele in the state.

Reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer, Edo State, Noble Friday Uwoh, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) praised the police officers for making the command proud.

He said from outset “the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Foluso Adebanjo had read a riot to criminals in the state that they have no hiding place unless they repent and refrain from any illegal acts that contravene the laws of the land.

“We will not rest on our hoarse neither are we going to leave any stone unturned to arrest other members of the gang that are on the run. They are going to be charged to court accordingly after thorough investigation. Many innocent citizens have lost their lives in hands of the suspected criminals and we are concerned.”

“We are compiling our records, if not for strike embarked upon by the judicial workers in the state, they would have been charged to court but now that the workers are back to work, they  have to face the judiciary.”

The post How kidnaper shot driver’s buttock appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu  -  Correspondent, Lagos

A suspect, Katongu Philip, is currently cooling his heels at the cells of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Lagos State Police Command, Yaba, over the murder of a lady, Justina James, said to be his wife.

The victim, according to the police, was stabbed in a makeshift house with no address at Maroko.

Police sources told Saturday Independent that the woman was stabbed severally in the stomach and the back, while the knife he used in carrying out the act has been recovered.

Investigation revealed that the victim, who hails from Kauro Local Government Area of Kaduna State, died on the spot. The deceased, it was learnt, does not have a child for the suspect who already has a wife with five children, whom he abandoned in Nasarawa State. It was also revealed that after killing the lady, Katongu stabbed himself on the stomach and was at the point of death when neighbours forced his door open and rushed him to the hospital where he was revived.

In his confession, Katongu, 45, said: “I live in a pako house in market area of Oniru Estate, Maroko. The house does not have number. I’m from Waji in Wamba Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. I’m a construction worker with Cappa and D’Alberto. It is an Italian company located at Okesuna Street, Obalende, but my site is at Civic Centre, near 1004, Victoria Island. I’m married with two wives.

“I was receiving N82,000 a month when I was a staff, but now I have been made a casual worker and I receive N50,000 because of the woman that died. The company gave me house but the woman that died came there to fight with me and other people and used knife to destroy the water tank given to me. The company, as a result, sacked me, and later turned me to casual worker.

“I have five children with my first wife, Tabita, but I have abandoned her with my children almost five years now. They are in Nasarawa State.”

On why he abandoned the woman and five children, Katongu said: “Each time I collected salary, she would ask why I should send money to them while she is suffering with me here in Lagos. I got married to my first wife in 1986. We did the traditional marriage. My first child, a girl died, the second one, a boy, was born 1990. The last one, a girl, was born in 2000. So, I have three boys and two girls.

“I married the second wife in 2010 December. I have not performed the necessary things of marriage. Whenever I asked her to come with me for the marriage she will be giving me excuses. Even her brother is aware of this.”

On why she killed her, he said: “She told me she had been with three other men; had two girls for one man, and the two girls died because she was HIV positive and the girls were infected. When we first met, she did not tell me all these. I told her that I have a wife with children but that I wanted to marry her.

“I told her that we should go to hospital to conduct HIV test, but she refused and said that she is HIV negative. So we started sleeping together. She used to go to Abuja for medical treatment every three months for HIV but she did not disclose that to me until March 2013, when she took me along with her to the hospital in Abuja and disclosed to me at the hospital.
I was angry and had to report the matter to her doctor who blamed her for not disclosing it to me. The doctor tested me, I was positive. The doctor asked me to come back in the next three months and gave me some condoms to be using, but I did not go back to the hospital.

“We came back to Lagos and continued with the relationship because I loved her. But suddenly she told me she wanted to pack out from my house that she was no longer interested in marrying me that she had another person to marry in Abuja. In fact, the man was calling her on phone while we were together. I told her that with this problem she had, she wanted to go and be infesting and killing people with HIV; that this is the end. I told her that I would kill her and kill myself. We started fighting and I stabbed her. It was between 3a.m and 4 am. I stabbed her three times with knife, she was shouting and people were knocking at my door, but I did not open it. After she died, I stabbed myself, so the people around broke the door and I woke up one day to find myself in General Hospital, Marina, Lagos.

On how he feels now, he said: “I feel very bad being in police custody because I killed my wife and attempted to kill myself. I loved her very much. I don’t know if she used anything on me because I loved the woman more than my first wife and children. It was as if the woman used charm on me. If I don’t see her, I will not sleep.”

The post She infected me with HIV, dated other men – Suspected wife killer appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu  -   Correspondent, Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command  in its quest to reduce to the barest minimum activities of criminals in the state recently arrested members of five notorious armed robbery gangs that have been terrorising the state.

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the state police command raided the dens of cultists in Idimu, the Makoko street urchins and robbers, the Ikorodu-Agindingbi-Abul e Egba gang of robbers as well as rapists.
Below are the confessions of the suspects.

Azeez Nosiru, 40, with wife and a child, who operates mostly during night parties in his confession said: “I’m a conductor. One day I was in my area when a guy called Ejanla (Gbenga) invited me for a party in Idimu area of Lagos. I got drunk in the party. This guy, Akeem, collected a gun from Ejanla. I later collected the gun from Akeem and we went somewhere during the party. I was drunk and came outside to urinate. An Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) man saw me with the gun and alerted the police. They took me to the station and later transferred me to SARS.

“I had nothing in mind when I took the gun from Akeem. I had never seen gun with Akeem before. When I collected the gun from him, I didn’t explain anything to him. I don’t know why I collected the gun from Akeem.

No, I didn’t want to use it to rob. I had never robbed before.

“In fact, the gun doesn’t even work! It had become too stiff to work. I didn’t try to use it. It was police that made me realise it doesn’t work. I didn’t ask him to collect any gun for me. He was the one who called me on phone and told me that he had collected the gun from Ejanla.”

Akeem Sukuru, 22, who claimed to be a wielder, said:  “I knew Azeez in my area. We live at Council area of Idimu. There’s a place we used to drink. Everybody who used to come there to drink knows that Ejanla is a cultist and belongs to the Eiye confraternity.

“Many of them in that area belong to Eiye confraternity. Azeez asked me to help him collect the gun from Ejanla. I only assisted him to collect the gun. I didn’t ask him what he wanted to use the gun for.

“It was the same day he collected the gun that police arrested him. Azeez didn’t pay me to collect the gun for him. God is my witness. He had already told Ejanla to give him the gun. All I did was to assist him to collect the gun. To tell you the truth, Enjanla just came new to that area. We don’t know what he does for a living.”

As to why he didn’t report to police, he said: “I didn’t go to police to report about the gun because I didn’t want trouble from the cult boys.”

On the Makoko robbery gang, Olamide Kolawole, 24, single and a cobbler, said: “It was robbery that brought me to SARS. My friend, Rasaki, and I are best friends. It was through Rasaki that I got to know other members of the gang. We were 11 that went for that robbery. We went to rob at Makoko area. We went on a Sunday.

“We were returning from a club at Sabo called MP (meeting point). On the way home, they said they had a job they wanted to go and do. I didn’t know they were going to rob. They didn’t tell me. When we reached the target building, they asked two of their members to stay with me outside, while others entered the house.

“The following day, which was on Monday, they came and gave me N3000 and a phone.

“The time was about 11p.m. We hired different cabs and met at the agreed venue. The building was like face-me-I-face-you sort of building, but the target was at the Boys’ quarters. The building was not fenced. My work was just to stay outside and watch with other two persons.

They were watching for people. There was no light. We were drinking the small Chelsea drink with us. They said a guy brought the job for them. They said the person had N16million with him.

“It was Rasaki that brought my N3,000 share to me. They said the big money would go to those who had been with the gang for long. He also gave me a Tecno phone.”
On how he was arrested, Olumide said: “I was arrested through information to police. I was walking on the street, about to go and buy medicine, when police arrested me.

“I have taken police to Rasaki’s place at Ebute-Metta, but we didn’t see him. I believe he knew that I had been arrested and disappeared. But maybe if we go to his mother’s place. We may find him there. I didn’t know that he was a robber. We are both cobblers.

Oladun Moyemi, 20-year-old barber, in his confession said: “It was robbery at Makoko that brought me here.  I know Olamide. We’re not into robbery before this time. We are known as rioters in our areas. We’re always involved in street fights with youths from other streets.

“There was a street jam on that day. I didn’t know that Rasaki and his friends had planned a robbery operation. We were seven that went for that robbery. We were not up to 11. Rasaki came with four of his friends to join two of us for the operation. The street jam was held at Olulu Street. As we were going home, we didn’t know that Rasaki and his other friends had another plan.

“When we reached the house, Rasaki asked us to stay outside. Rasaki is our friend, but we call him Sobo. He is an okada rider. Rasaki and others later came out with bags and some other items. He gave me a phone, an asa 202 and N6,000. It was the same day that they shared the money and gave to us.

“I didn’t know they were going for robbery. It was when they were coming out with bags from the building that it dawned on me that they went to rob. The following morning, Rasaki and his four friends left for Ajah, where they live.

“Some days later, I heard that Olamide had been arrested. But I didn’t know why he was arrested. My barbing salon is at Ikorodu, but my family house is at Iwaya.

“We used to kill during the street fights. Our gang has killed one boy, while three people had been killed in our gang by our opponents. I don’t know why they always fight. It’s true, many of us don’t know the cause of the fights, and we are just dragged into it. When the older boys in the community send us on errand, the opponents know and begin to target us. Thus we have no choice than to join. We use machetes to fight. But the older ones use guns. But many of them had been arrested.

“During the robbery operation, they didn’t take the front of the building; they went through the back.

“I don’t know where Rasaki is. I don’t know their movement since my arrest. But I’m ready to cooperate with the police.

One of the Agidingbi car robbers, Olayinka Okewun, 35, said: “I’m a professional barber. I got married just June last year. I followed my friend to rob. We went to snatch car. The first car we snatched was at Agindigbi. The car was Honda Halla, ash colour.

“We have also snatched a Toyota Highlander at Ojodu Berger. We were about to snatch a Honda Pilot jeep when we were arrested.”

On how they pick their targets, Okewun said: “We got information that the man was travelling that day. We got it through a friend. I was called to follow them so that I’ll be the one to drive. We were four and that was my second time to go with them on operation. We were always four. My friend, Sodiq, a commercial bus driver had been long on the job.

“I live at Imota, but he called and asked me if I knew how to drive private vehicles, I said yes.  He said I should come and join him at Ojota. When I got to Ojota, it was Wednesday; we slept at the garage, the four of us. At about 4a.m, he came to wake me. He said we would be going somewhere. It was that day that we snatched the Honda Accord.

“Before they woke me that day, they had already gotten a car. It was a jeep, but battered and old.  I didn’t know where we were going, but he told me that any car they secured, I should quickly jump down and drive it.

“Two of them had a gun. As we collected the Honda Accord, the owner of the car was about to drive into a hotel to lodge, at Agindingbi, when we blocked it. Sodiq was with a gun. We used the black jeep to block it from behind. We rushed down; Sodiq was with the gun with ATM.  I don’t know ATM’s real name. After we collected the Honda Halla, we took Ojodu Berger and escaped, abandoning the black jeep.

“We were going to take the car to Abule-Egba, to the buyer. They asked me if I knew the way to Abule-Egba, I said I didn’t know the way well. When we got to Ojota, I got down for Sodiq to take over the car. It was that very day that I met the first guy and so I didn’t know his name. It’s only ATM and Sodiq that I know very well. He told me that we would be going to collect a vehicle.
“I knew that Sodiq was a robber. I have not collected my share before police arrested me.”

On the second robbery, he said: “Sodiq asked me to come and meet him at Berger. It was a Saturday. He said we would be going to snatch a Highlander jeep. We did. It was a woman who was driving the jeep.

After we collected the car, we went to Ebute-Metta. They told me that they were going to collect money from a man that was travelling. When we got to Ebute-Metta, ATM and I were asked to hang around at the bus stop.

“They said they wanted to go inside to collect information on how to rob the man of his money and that as soon as we sight the Highlander we should get ready and enter the car fast. It was about 4p.m.

“When we sighted them, we got up and joined them. In less than 25 minutes, we saw a Honda Pilot, driving. They said that was the man; that he was travelling and had foreign currency, and that we should collect it.

“We followed the car from there. They told me that immediately we get the man, Sodiq would get down and I should go and wait. When we got to the airport and I got down to take over the car from Sodiq, we heard soldiers shouting ole! They left me and ATM behind. We started running. The two of us took different directions. I didn’t know that area very well and the soldiers arrested me.

“I know that if Sodiq is caught, my problems will reduce. We went to his house, but we didn’t meet him. He knew I had been caught. My wife didn’t know that I had been arrested for robbery. My wife is even pregnant.

“It was greed that led me into this. I’m not satisfied with what God gave me. It was the way my friend painted the robbery job and how they spend and live their lives that made me decide to join them. I wanted to be like them. Today, I’m blaming myself.

A member of the Onyingbo robbery gang,

Akeem Adesina, 22, said he was into crab dealing before he joined robbery gang, saying: “It was a friend of mine that said I should come and let’s go and look for money. His name is Ababawon Kehinde.

“He said we should go to Jebba at Oyingbo. He told me that we were going for tigba bo operation. It means kick and open the door, like breaking and entry.

“We had a gun. Another had a machete. We were four that went for the operation. The others had been going before, but that was the first operation I would be partaking in where gun was used.

“My former job was pickpocket. Cutting open pockets of people sleeping and collecting their money or phones.

“There was Lucky, Sule, Kehinde. Ababawon has small frame. But he’s the leader.

Kehinde saw the house and said the house was like where somebody who has money might live.
“We don’t have target. We just moved around and picked any building at random. Ababawon climbed up the balcony, opened curtain and said we would get money from the place.

“Lucky was the person holding machete. He climbed and followed him. The next person holding a gun gave me his gun and climbed up and asked me to hand over the gun to him.

“He said I should be watching down in case there’s any problem. They opened the window and attempted to open the gate, but the owner heard the noise of the gate and started shouting. Sule showed him the gun, and said stop right there. Maybe the man just woke up and didn’t hear or maybe he thought it was a toy gun, he started struggling with Sule to collect the gun.

“Sule opened fire. The man fell down. People in the compound started shouting. People living on the second floor looked down and also joined in shouting. They started throwing things at us. My friends all rushed down from the balcony and we left the place.

Ababawon said we couldn’t go home empty handed. We started robbing people going for early morning prayers of their money and handsets.

The time was about 4am. We saw a guy carrying bag and a guy driving. Sule showed him gun, we collected their phones and money. While we were collecting these items we saw a vehicle; it was a police van. The light of the car was on us.

“We started running; Sule ran and disappeared. Lucky, Kehinde and I kept running. Kehinde that had small body was the person in the front, Lucky second and then me. I heard stop there or I’ll shoot. It was the policemen. Kehinde and Lucky knew that area very well. They took some more steps and also disappeared. I was the only one that the police got. They took me to police station and found about eight phones and money on me. I told them that we were doing stop and search.

“The police were taking my statement when someone came into the station to report that some men came to their compound and shot their neighbour without collecting anything.

“They said the man had died in the hospital. The policemen asked if it was my gang that went to that house and killed that man, I said no. I told them that we were doing stop and search.

“We were taken to SARS. I took the police to my friends’ places, but they had run away. I mentioned innocent people. When we returned to SARS, it was discovered that those people were innocent. I also later told the truth that those people I mentioned were innocent.

“I was not robbing. It was my first robbery and I was arrested. It was Sule that shot and killed the man. Sule said yawa don gas, that we would not be able to get money from there anymore.”

The post Confessions of five Lagos criminal gangs appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu   –  Correspondent, Lagos

Obinna Okorie a suspected and wanted armed robbery financier and receiver of stolen goods has finally met his waterloo.

Criminal suspects

He is now telling the police at the Special Anti Robbery Squad SARS, of the Lagos State Police Command, led by Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police, SP, all he knows about the series of armed robbery activities in Lagos and elsewhere in the country which had to do with organised snatching of trailers and containerised goods by armed bandits.

Obinna who hails from   Omo Village, via Oko, in Orlu Mba North Local Government of Anambra State had been wanted for over seven years by the police for allegedly being  a receiver of stolen goods and sponsor of armed robbery. The Lagos State Police Command had placed him on the list of the most wanted criminal in the state. He was before his arrest on the wanted list of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad, FSAR, as well as on the wanted list of the Ogun State Police Command.

He is also wanted by the Port Authority Police Command among others. Saturday Independent Findings revealed that series of armed robbery activities in Lagos metropolis involving trucks and containers of valuable goods from ports and border stations were sponsored by Obinna. His gang members are often armed to the teeth and in fake military uniforms courtesy of Obinna under the pretext that they were task force men,thus  arrest drivers, conductors of containerised goods and trailer loads of valuables who were taken to unknown destination. They would drop them in isolated areas  and use their special truck/trailer drivers to move the goods away to Obinna’s warehouses across the country and the neighbouring countries.

It was gathered that they started this criminal activities with Lagos painted bus which they used to block truck load of goods and hijacked them until Obinna bought Hilux buses for the operation. Some dismissed soldiers were also said to be among the gang members.

One Usman and Kingsley who were identified as Lance corporal in the military and members of this gang were said to be at large.

So many armed robbers arrested at SARS at one time or the order named Obinna as their sponsor and receiver of the loot of robbery operation, but could not give clue on his whereabouts or how to arrest Obinna as he had so many boys and middle men through which he reaches the gangs.

The series of confession made the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko to give the Officer-in-Charge of SARS, Kyari, a final marching order to get Obinna dead or alive.

Obinna was finally arrested alive by Kyari a few weeks ago. He had taken commercial (danfo) Kyari’s men to his different wahehouses in the North and Eastern parts of the country were stolen goods were recovered.

With the assistance of INTERPOL, Obinna led Kyari and team to Cameroun where he had some warehouses and boys working for him. The warehouses and goods have been identified  as stolen from Nigeria.

Thus the police have certified that Obinna has warehouses where stolen goods are stored in Yawunde and Duala all in Cameroon, as well as Onitsha and Kano in Nigeria.

“Obinna had been on the police wanted list for over 10 years. The Lagos SARS, the Federal SARS, several police divisions and Area Commands   are looking for him. Many robbery gangs busted by SARS, Ikeja whose members confessed  implicated  Obinna as the sole financier and reciever of their goods”, said a top police officer at SARS Ikeja.

The source revealed that arresting Obinna was not an easy task.

His confession:

Tell us about yourself?

My names are Obinna Okorie Emeka was  born in 1981 in Orlumba L/G of Anambra State. I’m not married. I live at Ngozika Estate, Awka.

What do you do for a living?

My business is bringing in Tokunbo canvas and clothes from Cameroon to Nigeria for sale.

Tell us about your educational background?

I stopped my education in Primary School.

Why?

Because my father died.

What position are you in your family?

I’m in 5th  position from the eight children of my parents, when my father died, I came to Lagos to serve somebody who was dealing in electrical parts.

When were you arrested?

I was arrested on 24th February 2014 at  Nkpor Express near Onitsha.

How would you react to the allegations against you?

I have nothing to say. It happened as the police said.

Investigation revealed that one USMAN was arrested and claimed to be a military man and later arrested and transferred to Directorate of Military Intelligence DMI for trial also indicted Obinna. In course of investigation, Police disclosed they  have recovered about six Danfo vehicles used by the gang. One was recovered by  Festac Police Division, One by Itire Police Division, One by Kirikiri Police Division, while three were recovered  SARS, Ikeja.

It was gathered that the buses were abandoned  while police were  chasing them.

The post Obinna Okorie: Most wanted receiver of stolen goods now in police net appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

With the introduction of the new traffic law in Lagos State and the removal of policemen from the highways, attention has moved to motorists who are harassed and subjected to mistreatment and accusations of committing traffic offences by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) and the police, in order to extort money from them.  Investigations by Saturday Independent revealed that, most times, in their overzealousness, these law enforcement agents do terrible things, from bursting tyres to assault of motorists that do not ‘cooperate’ with them. Instead of being proactive and preventive in their approach in the discharge of their duties, they lay ambush for motorists and pounce on them at every opportunity to fleece them of their money, as Assistant Editor, Sam Anokam, reports.

Recently, Ejiro Umukoro was on his way to the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, to meet his journalist friend who was hanging out with some mutual friends. As he approached the stadium in his car with a friend on the passenger’s seat, he saw two turns leading, supposedly, to the sports village. The first turn was close to the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) and the second was a bit ahead of him, thinking both turns led to the stadium as he was not used to that route, Umukoro decided to take the second turn, following vehicles coming from the Masha area, towards the Ikorodu expressway.

Unknown to them, two Rapid Response Squad (RRS) officers were lurking around and watching, while they were contemplating where to make a turn. But as soon as they negotiated the second bend, the officers swooped on them and took them to the police post inside the stadium. The officers reeled out the traffic offences they had committed and threatened to “deal” with them if they did not co-operate. They were given two choices: pay a bribe of N25,000 or face Governor Babatunde Fashola’s wrath, by way of the heavy penalties of the new Lagos Traffic Law.

It took the intervention of a top police officer before Umukoro and his friend were let off the hook, after “dropping something.”

Elsewhere in Ikeja, Kola Ishola, a young man who left Nigeria to live abroad some years ago and returned recently, to take care of some family issues, drove to the Computer Village to buy some electrical appliances. Coming from the Oba Akran axis, as he was about to drive in and make his purchases, stern-looking Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) officials, who were scattered at the entrance of the gate, stopped him abruptly.

Before he realised it, three of the officials had forced their way into his car, as if they were carjackers. He was told he had violated traffic rules by going the wrong way on a one-way street.

For over 30 minutes, Ishola was lectured on the new traffic rules in Lagos. Even when he explained that there were no road signs to say that the road was a one-way lane, the LASTMA officials stood their ground until he coughed out N35,000.

They told him he was lucky that he was not made to pay the stipulated fine of N300,000 as gazetted by the state government in the new law.

In another instance, a man simply known as Lanre was driving to his office at the Maza Maza area of Ojo when he innocently followed other vehicles that avoided a crater, near Mile 2. As he veered into the side road to connect to the highway, LASTMA officials who were loitering nearby suddenly blocked the road and flagged him down. He was told that he was “passing through the gutters,” with his car. Visibly baffled, Lanre explained that, most times, when he wasn’t driving, because of the usual traffic snarl in the area, commercial buses passed through the side road. As he was making his point, commercial vehicles were plying the “gutters” a free passage without any form of disturbance from the LASTMA officials.

Eventually, Lanre had to part with some money to be set free. Being the curious type, he went to that particular spot the following day to see for himself why he was arrested. Though the LASTMA officials were there, vehicles were passing, unhindered. He spotted two of the officers that arrested him the day before and challenged them, but they said nothing. Only then did it dawn on him that the target of the LASTMA officials was private vehicles.

The experiences of Umukoro, Ishola and Lanre are not isolated incidents. Stories abound of the harrowing experiences motorists go through in the hands of these zealous, criminally-minded state officials in the name of the new traffic laws in Lagos.

Moreover, some people are of the view that, since the police have been ordered to dismantle all roadblocks on the highways, they have to look for other means of enriching themselves at the expense of other Nigerians, mostly drivers.

Dele Ilori, a motorist pointed out that, “In the state government’s effort to make Lagos a mega city, certain things must be put in place. Apart from infrastructure and other issues, our roads must be safe.

“Now you are afraid to drive in Lagos because, if you are not harassed by LASTMA and police, armed robbers would definitely be there to contend with you. This new traffic laws are being abused mostly by LASTMA and police, who are hell-bent on fleecing innocent motorists. They see it as an avenue to make money for and Lagosians are the worse for it.

“Most times, these officials take the laws into their hands by deflating your tyres and even assaulting motorists. I think the main issue here is that most of these officers do not know their jobs because where there are no signposts telling you anything, they should be there to correct you and not to watch you make mistakes and then pounce on you.”

A vivid example of such unreasonable behaviour could be seen at the Allen Roundabout in Ikeja. On a daily basis, traffic officers, who most times are not interested in the traffic snarl, make it seem that they are out to haunt motorists at the slightest mistake.

Ilori concluded by saying government has to put a stop to the extortion, “They should be called to order and those found wanting among them must be prosecuted.”

Corroborating this observation, a newspaper columnist recently wrote thus: “The agency was created to ease traffic but Lagosians know they do the very opposite. They station themselves at functional traffic light points, jump in the way of a flowing traffic to stop you. And if you hesitate, you have committed actionable offence and must be tortured, extorted and possibly killed. The people that actually cause traffic crisis in Lagos, the danfo drivers, are untouchables. LASTMA never arrests or cautions them. They watch them do what they wish on the road while laying ambush to catch the easy victims.”

To get the reaction of the agencies to comment on the activities of their men, Saturday Independent put a call to the public relations officers of the Nigeria police and LASTMA.

The LASTMA PRO said he was on leave and not in town but would forward the GSM number of the general manager to the reporter, which he never did as at the time of going to press.

However, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, in a telephone chat, condemned such acts and warned that the police would deal decisively with anyone found guilty.

She, however, advised Nigerians to obey traffic rules and regulations and report any irregularity on the part of law enforcement agents.

On his part, legal practitioner, Luke Emejulu, said: “If there is no signpost or anything on that road to show that vehicles shouldn’t go through one-way, then it is an arbitrary arrest. It cannot be legal. The law states that all traffic signs on one-way roads should be placed conspicuously, but if it is not so, they have no right to arrest that person. That is why it should be placed conspicuously so that motorists can see it. The person should go to the DPO of the nearest police station and call his lawyer. He can even sue for arbitrary arrest.”

The post Traffic law as means of dehumanising road users appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

 By Emmanuel Udom -  Senior Correspondent, Lagos

Operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) and police detectives are presently on the trail of a fake job recruitment syndicate, who for sometime has made fortunes from desperate job seekers across the country.

Saturday Independent gathered that last week, a niece of an editor of a national newspaper was allegedly swindled to the tune of N50,000 by one Lanre Bambgose.

Bambgose, according to the editor, claimed to be the official job recruitment consultant for Aero Contractor, one of the indigenous airlines operating in the country.

But, the said niece (names withheld) was instructed by Bamgbose, who is alleged to be the ringleader of the fake job recruitment syndicate to pay the money into an accounts of two commercial banks.

The payment, according to him, was to facilitate the procurement of tickets from Abuja to any part of Nigeria, where interviews for recruitment into the service of the airline was to hold.

Also, the payment was to ensure that in case of medical issues, Bambgose, as the said official job recruiting agent in partnership with Aero Contractors could offset all medical expenses incurred by the job applicant.

The two account numbers made available to job seekers by members of the syndicate are Mrs. Anita Nwosu, Sterling Bank of Nigeria Plc with account No: 0026946244 and Mr. Richie Emmanuel, Guaranty Trust Bank of Nigeria Plc with account No: 0153322162.

Security sources, however, said on Tuesday that it is likely that members of the fake job recruitment syndicate, who are stationed in states across the federation, might be working in close partnership with these banks.

However, our sources further disclosed that the Bamgbose-led job recruitment syndicate might have made millions of naira from unsuspecting job seekers in Nigeria, while the airline might not be aware.

The management of the airline confirmmed this suspicion on Tuesday   when Tolu Enang, manager, human resources & business development of Aero Contractor told our correspondent that the said Bamgbose was not on the staff list of the airline.

Her words: I have checked the database of our staff and I can tell you that Lanre Bamgbose is neither a staff nor an official recruitment agent for our airline.

Though Frank Mba, Force Police Public Relations Officer, could not pick his calls on Wednesday morning, sources said police authorities in Abuja as well SSS had received information on the alleged criminal activities of the syndicate.

In a related development, police detectives and SSS operatives are also said to be on the trail of one Engineer Elibe Samuel Okechukwu, who claims to be working for Neimeth Contructions Company of Nigeria.

Okechukwu attempted, to swindle Grace Omoshaba-Edema, our correspondent of N320,000.

The suspected fraudster asked Omoshaba Edemato pay the money into his account with these details, Elibe Samuel Okechukwu, Account No:  2475959017 with First City Monumental Bank of Nigeria Plc and get back to him as soon as possible for the sealing up of the construction deals.

The post Police, SSS on trail of fake job syndicates in Nigeria      appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu / Correspondent, Lagos

More than three weeks after some widows living in Mobile Police Unit 20 barracks commanded by Olubode Ojajuni, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and one-time Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, were ejected, their pains and anguish have continued unabated

Alice E. Belo, widow of late Sergeant Belo in tears

Some of the widows and their children are still struggling to have a roof over their heads, while some still have their belongings littering the barracks.
Speaking on her experience, Mrs. Stella Mubo, wife of the late Inspector Simon  Mubo, an indigene of Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State said: “It was on Wednesday, May 20, 2014, that we, the widows in Mopol 20 Barracks, were invited by the commander, Mopol 20, CSP Ojajuni. We went to his office at Oduduwa, GRA, Ikeja, with high hopes that good things were coming on our way, being widows whose husbands died in active duty, and still awaiting their due benefits and entitlements to be paid.

“But instead, we got a shocking news of our lives from Ojajuni that we should pack out of the barracks with immediate effect. We appealed to him to give us time because he told us to pack on Saturday, the same week he called us, that we have not been paid our husbands’ benefits. He told us he did not want to hear or know that we have not been paid.

“That since we are widows in the barracks, that if there is any problem, they cannot defend us, they cannot deal with us, that we should pack. I begged him to give us time but he refused. He said if I want to beg, I should go to Abuja and beg, but when I kept begging, he said I should leave his office. The following day, he brought the quit notice and three days later, on Sturday, 31 May, they came early in the morning with a truckload of Mobil Policemen and threw our belongings out. As I am speaking with you now, all our loads are still outside. We don’t have anywhere to go. How can somebody serve the Federal Government for almost 30 years, and die in active service and his widow and children are thrown out just like that without paying their entitlements.”

She continued: “We were just given only three days to pack and on the third day they came to throw us out. My children and I have been sleeping outside since then, as there’s nowhere to go.”

According to Mrs. Mubo, her husband died on August 22, 2010. “Since then his entitlements have not been paid. The only thing I received was burial expenses and after that, nothing else. I have been running up and down, borrowing money to pursue the payment.

“I don’t really know what is the problem, I have been going to the pension alliance and they have been telling me the money is not ready, that I should come back. I was even there last week. This week Monday, I was there and I have not been paid. I don’t know what the problem is,” she said.

She lamented that her husband was involved in an accident and was rushed to the hospital where he died, saying: “Since then, I have been managing with my children. I have two children.

“It has been difficult for us to collect our husbands’ benefits years after they died, but the police authority is not doing anything about it. They are not assisting us to facilitate quick payment of our late husbands’ entitlements.

“I feel very sad. Since we were thrown out, I have not been eating. The injustice is too much. This will not encourage me to advise any of my children to join the police force. The way things are done is not encouraging. They made me to cry and cry everyday. No help from anybody. All my belongings are still outside. I want the police authority to pay us so that we can get accommodation.”

According to her, the police claim that “some of us have stayed between seven and eight years does not hold water. Myself, it is just three years and few months ago that my husband died and I have not been paid, so they are just using that as an excuse. It is a case of giving dog a bad name in order to kill it; they should have identified those who have been paid rather than throwing us all out. How can you give somebody three days quit notice and force the person out of the house within three days? How can the police, who are responsible for law and order, do this? Can a landlord under the law issue three days quit notice to a tenant and go ahead to execute it? If such a matter is reported to the police, how would they handle it?” she queried.

“They should go to the office and confirm. It is Pension Alliance that will pay, and they have not paid me. They should go to their office and confirm if it is true that they have paid me or not. If I have been paid, why should I still be in the barracks? Am I enjoying my life there? I am suffering there. There is even no renovation there. The houses are even old and expired.

“When they came, I was not around; they forced the door open and threw my things out. That was what they did to us.

“Another victim, Mrs. Alice E. Bello, from Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State, said that before the death of her husband, they lived at Block 1, Flat 7, Mopol 20 Barracks.

“What led to the police throwing my property out of the house was that they gave me just two days quit notice. They brought the notice on Thursday and on Friday, we went to their office to beg them to give us more time because we have not collected our husbands’ benefits. My husband died in a motor accident in 2010.

“Since then, they have not paid us his benefit. Even the burial money, they have not paid me. When I went there, they told me they did not see the file. That is what happened that they have not paid us till now.

“Then on Friday, we went to see the Commissioner of Police to beg him for more time; we were told he was not on seat and were directed to an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Iloh, who is the AC Administration. She promised that she would beg for us to stay for extra one or two weeks. She even called CSP Ojajuni in our presence on phone who told her he was in a meeting with IG in Abuja, that he only had to come out to receive her call. But on Saturday morning, I was not at home; I was on duty because I’m managing cleaning work somewhere. Before I returned, they had broken my door and thrown my things out.”

She said she is a cleaner at Saint Leo Catholic Church Medical Centre, adding: “I have two children. I was not working before the death of my husband, and after his death, when I came to the command headquarters, they said that I should not fold my hands and that I should have to look for something to do because it will take long before the benefits will be paid.

“Since then, I have been suffering, selling fufu, pepper, okra inside the barracks before I started looking for work because I was living from hand to mouth on a daily basis. If I sell, I will eat, if I did not sell, I will not see something to eat with my children. My husband was promoted to a sergeant, but he did not hang the rank before he died. He died in accident on Ikorodu Road. Now, I do not have a place to lay my head.

“I distributed my property when rain started to destroy them. The chair and everything were affected by the downpour which happened a day after the incident. I had no place to put my load. Though there is a sister that decided to help me, my children and I sleep in the corridor. That is where we are still sleeping till now.

“They claimed that some people have been settled and they have spent up to seven to eight years in the barracks. It is a lie., I have not collected a kobo. If l had collected benefits what is the need of wasting time in the barracks?

“They will tell you to go and bring paper from where your husband joined the police. My husband joined at Sokoto, they said I should go and bring letter from there. Then they demanded for money. They said you should give them transport money that they want to collect the paper from Abuja. They demand between N3,000 to N5,000.

“Even some of our children are out of schools because there is no money to continue their education. Some who have graduated from secondary school cannot enter the university. We struggle to feed them and now, the police authority have thrown us out,” they said.

When Saturday Independent visited the place last Sunday evening, after the downpour, some of the personal items of the victims were seen in pool of water, as the widows have not been able to relocate.

A copy of the quit notice signed by one Usman M. Nasarawa, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP and O/C PMF 20 Provost, for Commanding Officer, Police Mobile Force, 20 Squadron, Ikeja dated May 28, 2014, reads: “It has come to my notice that despite the fact that you have been transferred/demobilised/retired from the Squadron/Force long ago, you are still occupying the Squadron’s official quarters/barracks, which your continuous occupation of this quarters is illegal and contrary to IGP’s circular Ref. No. CH: 7970/FS/148 of 30th January, 1990 and CH: 7700?PER?FHQ?ABJ.T/1 Dated 22nd October,1999.

You are, therefore, given up to 30 May, 2014,  i.e three days, to vacate your quarters or you will be forcefully ejected after expiration of this notice.”

It was gathered that only about two or three including a man who had since retired have been paid but don’t want to leave.

Efforts to reach both the Commissioner of Police Lagos State Police Command, Umar Manko, and the command’s imagemaker, Ngozi Braide, for comments were not fruitful as their lines were not connecting when calls were put across to their phones.
However, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who received his call could not comment on the incident but referred us to the Commander, Mopol 20, Ojajuni who said the decision was final as the barracks is for easy mobilisation of serving mobile police officers.

The post Lamentations of ejected police widows appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Emmanuel Udom  / Senior Correspondent, Lagos

on June 2011, Mrs. Carolyn Nleme, then a senior intelligence officer, was compulsory retired from the service of the Defence Intelligence Agency.

Sources alleged that the build-up to the premature retirement for the Abia State born lady, began when she wrote a letter three years ago, drawing the attention of the director of Administration of the agency to the omission of her name in the list of senior officers who were to sit for their promotional examinations.

The letter, according to our sources, appeared to be her greatest sin, as the then Director of the agency, Brigadier-general Efiok Ibonkette, allegedly moved against her and eventually succeeded in signing her compulsory retirement letter in June 2011, which edged her out of the agency.

The decision to write the director may have been the only sin she committed, as the terms and conditions regulating her employment were not duly followed before she was compulsorily retired,” our source said.

Our correspondent further gathered that as soon as the woman was given her retirement letter, she was asked to hand over all properties belonging to the agency and vacate her residence located at Block 58, Flat 1 LSDPC Estate, Glover Road in Ebute Metta Lagos.

Speaking on phone with our correspondent on the issue, the embattled woman said that despite repeated pleas to the agency to reinstate her, since she did no wrong, the plea fell on deaf ears.

“However, I approached the National Industrial Court in Abuja to seek to secure my apartment at the Estate, but my lawyer discovered in the course of court proceedings that the same Brigadier-General Ibonkette claimed to be the rightful owner of the apartment” she said.

She said on phone from Abia State that she has all legal documents from the Federal Government to proof that she is the true owner of the apartment, which the retired director is trying to lay claim to.

Also reacting to the Issue on phone at the Brigadier-General Ibonkette told our correspondent that he may not want to talk much on the matter, since the case is already in court and his lawyers are handling it.

Ibonkette however said that though he has not yet moved into the apartment, he has all documents to show that he is indeed the right owner of the apartment of at Block 58, Flat 1 LSDPC Estate, Glover Road in Ebute Metta Lagos.

The post Retired intelligence officer cries out for justice over property      appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Emmanuel Udom  /  Senior Correspondent, Lagos

The police in Enugu on Friday said that Timothy Ngwu, a self-acclaimed pastor and founder of Vineyard Ministry of the Holy Trinity claimed that God told him to impregnate 20 members of his church

The randy pastor, our sources said was arrested by police detectives at the premises of his church, located at Ihe /Owerre, in Nsukka, Enugu State.

Ebere Amaraizu, a deputy superintendent of police and image maker for the Enugu state police command said that the suspect, on being drilled confess that  he was obeying God’s command to have a marathon sex with the female members of his church, that led to their being pregnant.

The words of DSP Amaraizu:“The pastor claims to be obeying prophetic/spiritual injunction to do the will of God, which is to impregnate any one chosen and revealed by the Holy Spirit, irrespective of whether the woman is married or not.

“When the woman is delivered of the baby, the child remains in the ministry with the mother for life”

Saturday Independent further gathered that it was one Gloria Udoka, a deputy superintendent of police, serving at the anti-child trafficking unit of the Enugu state police command that coordinated the arrest of the pastor.

DSP Udoka, stormed the church based on tip-off from Veronica Ngwu, wife of the randy pastor on the sexual escapes going on in the church, which resulted in a number of married and single women getting pregnant.

Mrs Ngwu told the police that her husband, who was a staunch member of the Catholic Church allegedly, impregnated the women, who are now living with him.

But, the man at the center of the storm told police detectives that he has five wives with thirteen children in addition to concubines, saying that it was the prophetic will of God based on the directive of the holy spirit that makes him to impregnate the women.

Sources said that one Calista Omeje and Assumpta Odo confirmed to the police in Enugu that they left their husband and went to the randy pastor based on the prophetic injunction to do the will of God.

The post God told me to impregnate my church members –Pastor appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

Our Daily Manna (ODM), the leading Christian daily devotional, which is a household name in Nigeria was attacked again by an armed robber.

ODM office situated in Ogudu area of Lagos State was invaded by the armed robber on Friday June 13. Eye witness said that the robber stormed the church at about 1pm and that only a few staff   was around when they came in. He was said to have pretended to be repairer of bad chairs and that he had come to repair the office chairs in the computer/admin rooms.

“The robber came in and pretend to be furniture repairer and  asked if they could help repair some of the malfunctioning chairs and furniture in the church office and the computer room, and we did not have any reason to doubt him,” an eye witness revealed.

According to our source as soon as he came into the office, he asked the  staff to vacate the office since he was going to spray a very dangerous chemical.  The staffers agreed and went out.

A couple of minutes later one of the administrative staff decided to check what was going on in the office where the “chair repairer” was working and he discovered that he had already removed the office laptop and was planning to remove the second one.

The staff raised alarm and the robber were intercepted. He were searched and a phone and a dangerous instrument were found on him.

After being arrested by the men of the Ogudu Police station, he claimed he came from  Ogun State but kept lamenting that he was giving wrong information.

In his words, “I never knew it was a church/Christian

office. I thought it is an ordinary office. If I had known it was church, I won’t have agreed to come. “I came all the way from Otta, (Agbado, Ijaiye) I don’t know this place is a church office. They did not tell me o! I wouldn’t have come here.” He was immediately charged to Ogudu magistrate court and the judge presiding over the case, Mrs. AWOPE, who was very angry, gave an order for him to be remanded in Ikoyi Maximum prison, till July 14 when the matter will be come up for trial.

Prior to this ugly incident, we gathered that the ODM publisher, Bishop Dr. Chris Kwapovwe had been faced with different challenges and battles from his supposed “enemies.” Remember that there was also a robbery about a year ago and it was the same  office that was targeted. The general view is that it is the handiwork of people who are planning to bring him down by all means following his unusual rise/success story and the wave-making publication, “Our Daily Manna.”

The post Armed robber caught in Our Daily Manna office appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu /  Correspondent, Lagos

Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of Ogun State Police Command have smashed a gang of armed robbers, which snatches vehicles from Ondo State and takes them to Lagos for sale.

Olalekan (left), Abiodun (second left), Ojolowo (second right) and Bakare

The five-man robbery gang, Saturday Independent learnt, specialises in snatching posh Toyota brand of vehicles in Akure, Ondo State capital and Agbara area in Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government Area of Ogun State.

SARS source said the events leading to the arrest of the suspects started on Monday, July 14, 2014, when three of the members, Isiaka Olalekan, Kazeem Abiodun and Rafiu Ojolowo, robbed a man of his Toyota Camry saloon car in Agbara Industrial Estate, Ogun State, at about 6:15 a.m.

Also, in police net, but undergoing discreet interrogation, is one Alhaji Balogun, fingered as the receiver and buyer of the gang’s stolen vehicles. It was gathered that various vehicles were recovered from his showroom in Lagos, while another car dealer/receiver identified by his sobriquet, “Major”, who has a showroom at Abule-Egba, Lagos, is currently at large.

In an interview with the suspects in SARS Office, Abeokuta, they confessed thus:

Isiaka Olalekan, 26, a native of Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, blamed poverty for his current travails saying:.

“I stay at House No. 27, Awolowo Street, Moshalashi, by Sango Tollgate, Lagos State. I ventured into armed robbery through Ife. We met at a party in Akungba, Ondo State. The very first day I met him, he introduced himself as a smuggler, dealing in second hands motorcycles. But soon afterwards, I discovered he was an armed robber. Initially, we were using master keys to remove posh Toyota vehicles, before we started deploying guns to dispossess our victims of their vehicles.

“Whenever we succeeded in removing the vehicles in Akure and neighbouring towns I would drive them to Lagos and hand them over to Major, our receiver. Initially, it was Alhaji Balogun that we were taking them to, before we switched over to Major because he offers us higher prices than Alhaji Balogun. I could remember that I had taken two vehicles, RAV4 and Highlander Jeeps, to Major and Ife gave me N50,000 and N10,000 respectively on them.”

“On that fatefully, Saturday July 19, 2014, at about 6:15 a.m, the three of us rode on the bike and sighted the man, driving in his Toyota Camry Saloon Car (aka pencil) and we hit him from behind. He came down from the car and started speaking grammar. We cashed in on that opportunity and attacked him. Abiodun pointed the gun at his head, while I jumped into the vehicle, with Bakare, while Ojolowo sped away on his okada.

“The operation was successful and we had called our receiver/buyer, Alhaji Balogun, who lives at Mirror House, Ejigbo, Isolo, Lagos, that we had got a car. I was driving towards Lagos, when the engine of the car suddenly went off. And before we knew it, an anti-robbery police team accosted us. I was apprehended while Bakare escaped. It was from Agbara Police Station I was taken here (SARS, Abeokuta).”

Kazeem Abiodun, 24, who hails from Otto-Awori, Ojo, Lagos, admitted he was once arrested by SARS detectives from Ikeja, Lagos, over a robbery operation.

“He said: I am an NCE holder from Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCED), Ijanikin, Lagos. I graduated in year 2011 and it was when I couldn’t get a job that I joined an armed robbery gang. I didn’t belong to any cult group when I was in school, but I am a member of Ogboni Confraternity.

In a bid to make ends meet, Rafiu Ojolowo and I used to snatch handbags at Agbara bus stops, both day and night. I was at home one day when I received a call and the caller identified himself as Isiaka. He told me that one Solomon referred him to me. I asked him to come down to Agbara and he obliged. We discussed at length and we fixed a day for a robbery appointment. On that day, I bore an arm, while Rafiu Ojolowo volunteered his motorcycle for the operation.”

Rafiu Ojolowo, 25, an okada operator, admitted taking part in the robbery operation, which he claimed, was his first time.

He said he was approached by Kazeem for the operation and that he never met Isiaka Olalekan from Adam.

“But I admit that Kazeem and I used to snatch handbags at Agbara bus stops, but we had never graduated to a point of snatching motor cars until the very one in which we were caught. It was the arrest of Kazeem that led to mine.”

Afeez Bakare, 32, the fourth suspect, said: “I am a butcher. Isiaka Olalekan is my cousin. I hail from Abeokuta, Ogun State. I knew Ife through my cousin, Isiaka, when he claimed he was doing a diploma programme at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State.

“One day he called me that a friend of his, Ife, had a RAV4 Toyota Jeep, which he wanted to dispose of. To convince me, he told me that Ife was an Internet fraudster (aka yahoo boy). Isiaka told me that Ife was broke and needed money urgently and that was why he wanted to dispose of the vehicle. Without wasting time, I told him that I know one Major based at Abule-Egba, Lagos, because his shop is not far away from mine in Ijako, Owode, Sango, Ogun State.

Ife and Isiaka brought the vehicle from Akungba to my home at Ijako. We drove the vehicle to Major at Abule-Egba and he agreed to pay N270,000. I was offered N10,000 for my efforts and they returned to Akungba.

A month later, Isiaka called and told me that his friend, Ife, had betrayed him. He said Ife had brought another Toyota Highlander Jeep to Major for sale, without his consent. To my dismay, two months later again, Ife and Isiaka brought a vehicle, a Toyota Camry saloon car (aka big daddy) which they sold to Major for N750,000. I wasn’t happy with the development and I also set them up. They were arrested by the police in Sango Station, Ogun State. But they soon regained their freedom.

“So, when Isiaka was arrested at Eleweran, Abeokuta, he mentioned my name because of my involvement in sales of their stolen vehicles to Major. The truth is that I had never gone out for an operation with them, but I admit assisting them in disposing of the stolen vehicles.”

The post Inter-state car snatchers in police net appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

It takes two to tango and there are always two sides to a coin.  It was in the light of the above that, the Nigerian Embassy in Spain made efforts for our Special Correspondent in Spain, Uchendu Precious Onuoha, to interview Kingsley Ojugberu, the suspect in the acid attack on Mabel Mark, his wife, in Nigeria. Mark’s side of the story was published in Saturday Independent on July 19, 2014. Below is Ojugberu’s side of the story at his base in Las Palmas, Spain.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Kingsley Ojugberu, from Delta State. I am 38 years old, a school certificate holder and a fashion designer by profession. I have a big fashion house named Kings Fashion, with about 22 workers, in Egbeda Lagos.

How did you get to know Mabel?

I knew Mabel in 2006 through her friend that came to my house in Lagos, whom I helped to go back to Europe. When she saw how gentle and industrious I was, she told me about her best friend and said she would like me to know her. She gave my number to her and we started talking from 2006 till 2008 when she came to meet me in Lagos.

When did you come to Spain?

We got married in 2008 and I came to Spain in December 2010.

Did you do the traditional wedding rites?

No traditional wedding, only court wedding in Lagos. Both families witnessed the wedding and the mother signed the certificate. They never wanted her to get married. Before we got married, Mabel told me that the greatest problem she had was her family. There was nothing she did that could please them. After our marriage, her two sisters, Blessing and Dorcas, called me from Benin and asked, why should I go and marry their family investment? When my wife heard that, she called her mother and asked why they should be telling her husband such things. I tried to settle the case before she travelled back to Spain. Everything I am telling you, is true, God is my witness.

What do you know about the acid attack on Mabel in Nigeria?

My wife and I never had problems in our marriage, until Blessing and Dorcas that had been fighting us from Nigeria came in.  They were living with us in the same house and anything we did they used to tell their sister, Florence, in Benin. And that was when our problem started. My wife had an African shop. The shop was small. She had 350 Euros in her account when I came to Spain. That is what she showed me she had in her account. I started growing the shop. I bought an industrial sewing machine; God was so good to us. The African shop grew. I sewed clothes for Nigerians in Spain; we made it a joint business. We had the same account. We did not hide anything from each other. When we made a certain amount of money, we took it to Nigeria to invest for the future. We had a love contract.

You mean a love covenant?

Yes, a secret between me and her that we would never hurt each other. We travelled to Nigeria in 2011 and bought a property at Ogun State.

Before then, did she have any property?

She bought two houses in Benin. The first eight-room flat was before I married her and the family never allowed her to see the building, until I got married to her. I was the one that showed her the building. She was disappointed because what she saw was not what they told her.

We went back in 2013 and that was when the problem started. Before then those two girls had been calling their sister in Benin, telling her that I was the one controlling everything. Gloria worked in the same place with Dorcas and she lived in the same house with us. And she told us that Dorcas said our marriage would not work and that she used to call her people in Nigeria. My wife got angry and asked Dorcas, but she denied it all. While in Nigeria, Florence called my wife to come to Benin. Her sisters destroyed our marriage. They were not happy about our marriage because they were not of the same parents with my wife. Those girls are evil. We did not know they had set us up with a babalawo (voodoo priest). I did not have anything in mind because I and my wife love each other. We have a love covenant. We prayed to be together for better, for worse. This woman had been praying that, even if she dies and comes back again, she would look for me as a husband. This woman used to tell me sweet words and I used to tell her sweet words. If I lie, may I not see tomorrow; this woman was a good wife to me. Florence said that we should come to Benin because the babalawo said my wife was ogbanje (possessed by evil spirits). We went to Benin with another girl from Spain and Florence took us to the babalawo’s house. His name is Clement Okobu. He had two wives. When we were there, I don’t know what they did to me. The next thing my wife did was to sit on the lap of the babalawo, I thought that was Europe style; the man’s wife opened the curtain and saw them and went back. I don’t know who told the man that my wife was pregnant. And he asked, who is pregnant here? And I said that my wife was pregnant and what about it. He said that the pregnancy was a problem.

How long did you stay in the babalawo’s house?

I stayed there for two to three days and during that period I never came close to my wife. He told me that he was seeing accident for me as I drive.  And he put us in a hole like a grave and bathed us with some concoctions. I never knew that it was for us to hate each other. He collected from usN380,000 cash to do the ogbanje (exorcism) for my wife. The other girl from Spain told me she paid almost N1,000,000. My wife stayed in the house of the babalawo for seven days. And he put her in a room and said that only he would see my wife for those seven days, for that was the procedure. He had thugs in his compound. Those who bring girls to Europe take them to swear juju oaths before him. And he sends the thugs to disturb the parents of the girls if they refuse to pay in Europe. Please, I want government to fish this man out. Dorcas told me that the babalawo wanted to marry her before she came to Europe but she refused.

I went back to Lagos without my wife. Three days later my wife told me that she was coming to Lagos with the babalawo and Florence. I asked for what? She said that there was something that the man was coming to do in the land we bought in Ogun State. My wife bought a flight ticket for him to come to Lagos. By this time my wife was no longer my wife, she had changed totally. My wife lodged in a hotel with Okobu and Florence in Lagos. The man said to me that my wife told him that she wanted to die, that he should help her.

After the babalawo went back, I tried to make love to my wife but she said I should go for a harlot that there is something the babalawo put in her that she should not make love to anybody. My wife was behaving like a mad person. I managed to come back to Spain with her. Back in Spain, my wife could not sleep at night. Okobu and Florence were calling her to come back to Nigeria and finish what she has to do.

I called the man and told him to stop disturbing my wife. And he told me that I should stop calling that woman my wife because she was not my wife. I collected the voodoo charms he gave my wife, even the one she bathes with, I pissed on them and flushed them in the toilet. I contacted two pastors to help me and pray for my wife because she had totally changed. Two weeks after we came back, my wife bought a ticket to go back to Nigeria. I tried to stop her by hiding her passport but she insisted and left, leaving me with our daughter who was to celebrate her birthday in two days’ time.

She called me from Lagos and said that I blocked her account and that she could not collect money. We have a joint account in First Bank and both of us must sign before money is withdrawn. I sent 3,000 Euros from the shop through Dorcas to her. My wife is not a bad woman, we love each other, and it was the family that finished us with juju. She sent me a text message before the incident saying, “My husband, I am sorry for everything I have done to you please forgive me. I have seen all their plans towards me.” I showed the message to a member of the Nigerian Association, when I went to visit my wife in the hospital.

Two days after, Blessing called me at my workplace and said that something happened to my wife, that they poured acid on her. Immediately, I dialed my wife’s number in Nigeria and somebody picked and said that she was her sister and that I could not talk to her, I should call back in 30 minutes. I called after 30 minutes and the phone was switched off. I called the mother and she said I should not call her.  Here in Spain, the two sisters were fighting me,  saying that Okobu said that I sent somebody to pour acid on Mabel. Two days after, my wife was flown back to Spain, she is the one who called me and said I should come to the hospital. Dorcas was there when I reached the hospital. I saw my wife and burst into tears; I could not recognise her. Her face was totally black. She was crying and I was crying too. Let God that nobody can hide something from bear me witness. You can lie to man but you cannot lie to God.

Did anybody try to prevent you from seeing  your wife in the hospital ?

How can anybody stop me from seeing my wife that was sick in the hospital? I took her picture; it is in my phone. It was in the presence of Dorcas that she said I should forgive her. She told me her family said she should say it was me but she knows it could never be me.

When and why were you arrested and detained by the Spanish authorities?

On June 8, 2013, I was arrested at home by the police. They said Dorcas and one retired police officer that used to come to our shop reported me. They showed me the picture of my wife that was bathed with acid and said I was the suspect.

How were you treated by the police in detention?

They assaulted me, called me black pig and all sorts of names; they forced me to write statements; which is against the law here. I was taken to court and you know this is a developed country. They investigated everything about me here and in Nigeria even my phone conversations and they saw I was innocent of this matter. I was taken to prison for maltreating a woman, because my wife lied that I used to beat her.

How did the Nigerian Embassy come in?

I wrote that I wanted to see officials of the Nigerian Embassy. I had been in prison before the embassy came. And they asked me what they could do for me. I told them the only help they could render was to help my wife, because those girls and the babalawo were still controlling her.

What efforts have you made towards her treatment and recovery?

I just came out of prison and, by their law here, everything I have has been given to her, even our bank account. I don’t have anything; I am living off friends. I learnt my wife had filed for divorce, because they said she could not get help here without a divorce.

Have you been served the divorce paper?

They have served me. But for me to know what happened to this woman, I will never sign the divorce. I will give her time, because she is not herself yet.

If you need confirmation, tell the police to investigate the phone conversion between Mabel and my brother, Eddy, who is now in Germany, between December 23 and 30, 2013.

The post ‘My wife’s family destroyed us with witchcraft’ appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Andrew Utulu  / Correspondent, Lagos

Old habits they say die hard.   This idiom best describes the character of some suspects recently arrested by the Special anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Command for alleged conspiracy, armed robbery and receiving of stolen property.

Investigations revealed that a good number of the four-man gang currently being interrogated by the Abba Kyari led SARS have been arrested in the past by various police commands for similar offences. Daily Independent investigations revealed that the suspects who were arrested two weeks ago have either been charged to court or remanded in prison custody for the same offence in the past.

However, on getting out of jail through motion bail, they have regrouped, even as it was gathered that they have commenced massive and more deadly operations.

They are presently being grilled by the SARS operatives.

The suspects include Adedokun Adewusi, Henry Adebayo, Chigozie Orji and Adigun Kareem.

According to Police sources, the suspects have carried out series of armed robbery and car snatching in Lagos and Ogun State before they were arrested.

CONFESSIONS:

Adewusin 39, who claimed to be residing at Abule- Egba in Lagos said he is a a native of Egbore, Ogun State and a car dealer by profession. He also said he is married with four children. According to the police, the suspect who neither has a shop nor warehouse is a notorious stolen vehicles receiver and armed robbery sponsor.

Adewusin confessed that: “When somebody asked of it, I usually get it from a person at Cotonou before I started buying from the robbery gang.

“This is because there was a time I went to Cotonou to buy my own cars; the customs seized all my cars, so I don’t have any money again. That was what happened and I started patronizing armed robbers and car snatchers.”

When asked who were the major suppliers and the people he bought vehicles from, Dokun retorted:

“I brought stolen vehicles from many gangs and people like, Chigozie, Coded and Musbau, I sell the vehicles to people like Alahji Dogo, James and Tope. They are all in Abule Egba area of the state.

He added that he had bought so many vehicles from different syndicate since he started patronizing the men of the underworld.

“I have brought at least 48 cars from the gangs. Toyota, Honda, Highlander, Camry, I brought the vehicles according to their standards like N500, 000, N600, 000 N700, 000 and I sold them for about N1 million or N2million”.

He also confessed that he was aware that the people he bought the cars from were armed robbers.

“I am aware they robbed the vehicles, but I haven’t gone out with them to rob and I don’t know how there are getting their guns”.

On his part, Adebayo, 30 from Igbokoda, Ondo State and resides at Agbara area, around Era, Lagos State and married with two kids said:

“I do local job, labouring work and mostly in building sites.

My friends and I went to steal phones and lap top in someone’s house, they caught my friends, but I ran away, he brought police to my house after two days and I was arrested.  I was charged to court. I was set free, but I have nowhere to go, so I called a friend that I would stay in his place for a while, his name is Ogukwu, I met him in the prison yard and where we formed new gangs in the prison before he was released before me.

“I got a call from him that we should go and tear nets since I do not have what to do, but before that time he has stolen a “Highlander jeep” which some other gang members but I did not  know about the jeep.

“He said we should go to Isolo and rob. I don’t have any choice, we stole two lap top and two phones that day, so the next day we did the same. We sold the lap top to a guy, after getting some money I told him I want to stay with my family that I will not rob again.

“After two months, he called me that I should come for another operation, I told him no, that I have stopped doing that. I haven’t collected a vehicle, I only hold touch light when going for an operation. I don’t know how he stole the vehicle at night. Monday, a member of the gang, is using Rav 4 jeep.

“When I moved with him before having a problem; I moved with him three times to Ajah to rob, we stole four lap top and phones. Monday got that Rav 4 from his younger brother named Dada, who is now late. I usually sold goods to Adigun, while Monday has a guy he sold to now in South Africa.”

For 35 year Orji from Mbaise, Imo State, who lives at 13 Panada Street, Isolo, he is married with one kid, a former trader in Lagos Island, he confessed as follows:

“I have been arrested twice by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the first time I was caught with a gun, I used the gun for robbery, I was charged to Ikeja Magistrate Court. I spent a year and few months in the prison, I was set free through a motion bail, and my mother paid N250, 000. The second time, I started snatching vehicles in Lagos and was arrested.

“I got the Highlander from one of my friend Sunday, I knew him through Henry. All of us took part in snatching of the car. The owner of the highlander was drunk; he opened the door down while inside in the night and we pushed the man out of his car. They sold the car but I was not given a share, after sometimes of calling my colleagues and the buyer,  his mobile number was no longer going through, that my first time to collect a vehicle.

“I stopped using guns after I was arrested the first time and charged, I met Monday in the prison, but I got contact with him when we were released. I went back to rob because there was no money to start a business, it’s very painful to me that I found myself in robbery again. I pray that if God set me free I will not go back the third time.”

Kareem 35, from Kwara State and resides at Badagry area of Lagos claims he is an automobile engineer.

He confessed: “I was arrested because I collected stolen laptop and phones from somebody, a man called Ojukwu but his name is Orji, he has only given me two laptops.

“We met at a naming ceremony in Lagos, l have never been to the prison. I was arrested in 2012 for buying stolen phones, I was in the prison for just two days; the phone was sold to me by one Joseph in my area.”

The post Robbery suspects who will not repent appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

 By our reporter

On August 8, 2014, at about 10p.m. on the eve of the gubernatorial election in the State of Osun,

Mrs. Abebi Adesina was beaten,  forced to lie flatly on the floor

security forces were on the rampage in every nook and cranny of the state, brutalising All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters and officials.
At every stage of this brutalisation, the security forces would first send terror into people in the vicinity with a burst of gunfire, then create mayhem by breaking into their targeted houses, and, at gun-point, order residents to lie face down.
As this operation was in progress, other security agents would be screaming orders that anybody who attempted to escape would be killed.
This was the scene at Pa Fakayode’s residence at No 5, Oduduwa Street, Oke-Ila. The 84-year-old man had just lost his 40-year-old daughters.

Both father and daughter were lawyers but Pa Fakayode was one of the powerful APC leaders in the federal constituency at Ifedayo Local Government Area. The old man was attending to sympathisers who had come to condole with him over the death of his daughter when soldiers and other security forces invaded the compound, screaming and promising death to APC supporters.
Shortly before this attack on Pa Fakayode’s residence by the security men who were supposed to “secure” peace before, during and after the governorship election, Alhaja Abibat Oladapo (aka Mama Nuru), an agent of the APC in Ifedayo Local Government Area, after an assignment at INEC’s office, was also in Pa Fakayode’s house to condole with him.
The Alhaja had no premonition that she would be a victim of the terror she experienced in the hands of the security operatives that night. As the men terrorised the whole house sand people were screaming for help, an agitated Pa Fakayode was led downstairs to discover that soldiers and other security agents were everywhere, pointing guns on the heads of people who had come to sympathise with him.
Before he could say a word, one of the soldiers ordered him to put both hands on his head and sit on the wet ground in the rain with others. The 84-year-old man had no choice. In utter fright, he slowly went down and suffered the humiliation of his life in the hands of Nigerian security agents who were sent by Jonathan ostensibly to keep the peace in an election that the President’s party, the PDP, was desperate to win and had told the world that they would win at all costs.
President Jonathan’s and PDP’s federal might was already taking its toll on citizens of the state.
Alhaja Abibat Oladapo who had prepared to perform her civic responsibility for his party in furtherance of democracy in the country also had a very bitter experience in the hand of the soldiers.
She had heard Pa Fakayode screaming and as she rushed down to help, she was confronted by a civil defence operative who cocked and pointed his gun at her. She was terrified. But as she pleaded for mercy, other security operatives rained slaps on her face and head, and in spite of this assault, she summoned the courage to ask, “What crime have we committed to deserve this cruel treatment?”
“Shut up!” the civil defence man growled and ordered the Alhaja to sit on the wet ground like the others. As she found a place on the ground to sit, security operatives rushed upstairs to Pa Fakayode’s sitting room and vandalised furniture, after they had kicked open doors and broken into the old man’s flat.
One of the Department of Security Service (DSS) operatives was heard shouting in rage, “You stupid people. If you want to die, you will die now. All of you are sheepishly following Aregbesola because he promised you N500. We shall waste your lives here and nothing will happen.

“We shall waste your lives here and nothing will happen,” describes the impunity with which the security forces sent to Osun for the August 9 governorship election acted.
To illustrate the political nature of the security operation in Osun before, during and after the election, those who led soldiers and other security operatives to Pa Fakayode’s residence were PDP supporters led by one Hon. Funmi Olaseinde, a former female PDP member of the Osun State House of Assembly, in company of one Segun Aderibigbe, a staff of the State House of Assembly, and Bukola (Ebo), a sanitation officer at the local government. There were five others, three of whom were on motorcycle.
In all, 38 people were arrested that night in Pa Fakayode’s compound and over a dozen of them were APC polling agents. Others were sympathisers who had come to condole with the old man on the death of his daughter. There were several ladies and young women including Alhaja Oladapo and other women leaders of the APC. Between Oke-Ila and Osogbo where they eventually ended up, some of these women were sexually violated by the so-called “peace keeping” security officers.
After this terrorist operation at Pa Fakayode’s residence, the 38 APC supporters were herded into a truck. This process did not end before a heart-breaking event occurred. The 84-year-old Pa Fakayode lost grip and fell helplessly to the ground twice as he attempted to climb into the truck.

Alhaja Abibat Oladapo was beside herself with grief watching as Pa Fakayode was being humiliated by security forces. What she did not realise was that it was the beginning of a long night of torture that would stretch the endurance and break the hearts of her fellow APC supporters that were being herded out of Oke-Ila to an unknown destination.

As the convoy took off from the compound, another bizarre event occurred. Three PDP supporters, Segun Aderibigbe, Tosin Dada and one Oke, who had led the security squad to Pa Fakayode’s house, followed the convoy on their motor bikes. One of the soldiers in a fit of rage, pointed his gun at the trio threatening to kill them if they did not stop following. It took a mobile policeman in the squad to dissuade the soldier from shooting, pointing out that the three men were PDP agents who had earlier led the squad to the APC leader’s house to arrest the victims.
Surprisingly, however, rather than the truck conveying the APC supporters heading for Osogbo at about mid-night, it diverted and was moving in the wrong direction to Ora, a town 10 kilometres away from Oke-Ila. Alhaja Oladapo became apprehensive and secretly made a phone call to Hon. Abiodun Idowu, an APC leaders in the area.
For three hours between midnight and 3a.m. the whereabouts of these APC leaders and agents were unknown until they birthed at the military facility in Ede. During this aimless journey, another sad event occurred. Pa Fakayode, the 84-year-old man, who had been brutalised in his own compound and made to sit on the ground in the rain, now came under pressure to urinate. He pleaded with his captors to stop and allow him urinate with some decency and dignity. The old man’s plea was disregarded.
Now under extreme pressure, the Octogenarian took his singlet from under the pyjamas that he wore when he was arrested, made it into the shape of a bowl and urinated in it while the truck was in motion. The worst was yet to come.
At 11a.m. on August 9, when the election had already started, these APC supporters, who were in varying degrees of fear, humiliation and torture, started their final journey from Ede military facility to Osogbo. On arrival at the DSS HQ in Osogbo they were all ordered to lie face down on the open ground. Some of the young men and women quickly complied; but Pa Fakayode who was frail from age and the torture of the events from Oke-Ila through Ede to Osogbo was slow to comply with the order.
A DSS officer went berserk and descended on Pa Fakayode with a horse-whip, which he furiously lashed several times on the head of the old man until a soldier with a human heart, who could not take it any more, physically brought the assault of the DSS officer to a halt. The soldier then turned on the DSS officer rebuking him for gross misconduct and inhumanity on a very old man.

But the DSS officer was unrepentant. “What kind of old man is he?” he queried the soldier. “Why is he still in politics and supporting Aregbesola. Let him call that Aregbesola to come and rescue him now,” the DSS officer said with hatred and arrogance. Every victim on the ground who watched this pathetic and especially brutish display of man’s inhumanity to man burst into tears. The women wailed and the men cursed but the DSS officer swaggered away in sadistic fulfilment of his mission to brutalise and humiliate APC leaders and supporters.
Before this humiliation of Pa Fakayode, there had been an orgy of beating of men, women and children at the DSS HQ as they alighted from the truck that brought them from the military facility in Ede. A little boy, Seun Olaniyi, who had complained of cold the previous night in Ede, was slapped several times by a mobile policeman who ordered him to remove his clothes and had cold water poured on the naked body of this boy and after the treatment, subjected the little boy again to kicks with his military booths. This same mobile policeman, not yet done with his lust for brutality, descended on another young man driving the butt of his gun into his ribs and smashing same on the poor fellow’s head; a gash, and blood flowed from the broken head. The women wailed, the men sighed but the security officers mocked and sneered at the victims who dared to support Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola instead of Iyiola Omisore who Jonathan and the PDP-led federal government and all its institutions supported.
However, what was not in question was that the security that President Goodluck Jonathan sent to Osun to keep the peace and secure the vote took sides with the President’s party and went ahead to brutalise the supporters and leaders of the APC.

It was this demonstration of bias on the part of the security forces that led one of the soldiers who rescued Pa Fakayode from the DSS officer to asked, “what kind of politics are we playing in this country that we subject even innocent old men to barbaric and wicked treatment?”
Security officers in Osun told the world that they were only arresting suspected thugs and criminals who they thought were violating the law and attempting to disrupt the election. The DSS spokesperson, Marilyn Oga, went on air to describe even the APC’s National Publicity Secretary as a miscreant loitering at night, which was why he was arrested and detained on the eve of the election.
She conveniently did not speak about the virtual House arrest in which the first Governor of Osun, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, was placed until he outwitted and slipped away from the wild and menacing soldiers and other security operatives who had surrounded his residence.
What was totally inscrutable was that practically all Osun citizens arrested and brutalised by the security forces between August 8 and 9 were either APC leaders or their agents and supporters.

The PDP people who were apprehended by vigilant citizens for committing serious electoral fraud and handed over to the Police and DSS officers were promptly released and safely returned to PDP leaders. The Police argued that their release was ordered from above. On August 8 especially, dozens of APC leaders were arrested throughout the state between 10p.m. on the eve of the election and 6a.m. on August 9, the day of the governorship election proper. They were randomly picked up in some cases.
For instance, a father and his 12-year-old son met at the DSS facility in Osogbo on August 9. The son was picked up at Pa Fakayode’s residence (father and son were tenants of Pa Fakayode) while the father was in another batch of those arrested in the same town. The re-union in detention was heart-rending, but apart from being brutalised, both also had the misfortune of watching how another little boy was manhandled.
When those arrested were asked to lie face down on the ground, the boy after a while raised his head to get some fresh air but in a flash, a police man descend on this little boy, beating him black and blue. There was an unwritten code in security detention that you don’t look at officers who are brutalising you. If you tried, you get the beating of your life. This little boy was suspected to be trying to identify the faces of his oppressors. He nearly lost his eyes in the process.
As you read this, not a single case has been brought against any of the APC officials and supporters, which in effect means that they committed no crime for which they were ruthlessly manhandled, sexually assaulted and brutishly humiliated by the very same security forces sent to Osun to keep the peace.
However, notwithstanding this brutality of the security forces, there were instances in which some soldiers and policemen openly expressed disgust at the treatment being given to those arrested. One police officer at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office, on seeing the number of old people arrested, said: “These old men couldn’t have been thugs. It is wrong to mistreat them simply because they belong to a political part.”

In the military facility in Ede, one soldier was so compassionate about the age of Pa Fakayode he removed his cap and offered it to the Octogenarian to cover his head in the cold while the Alhaja who was arrested with him removed her head tie to keep the old man from the cold. And at the DSS office in Osogbo another soldier intervened to stop the crazy action of a DSS officer who repeatedly used horsewhip to whip Pa Fakayode.
What you have read above is only a tip of the iceberg of what actually happened. In Ile-Ife especially, the city and its citizens were so traumatised by harassments, threats and vandalism of properties of APC supporters from the security forces and PDP thugs who held the city captive before, during and after the election. These events went unreported partly because the media focused attention on coverage of what the politicians were saying more than what was happening on the ground.
However, to give you a sense of the brutishness and impunity with which PDP thugs and the security forces manhandled human beings in Osun over the August 9 election, the story of a young man cut down in his prime in Ilesha will suffice. This man had finished a hard day’s job and was taking back for safe keeping the generator he had used. Unknown to him, as he wheeled his generator in the barrow, a squad of uniformed people (nobody could determine whether they were PDP thugs or men of the security forces) were also driving past.
Immediately this armed squad observed that the young man had the Aregbesola campaign vest on, they opened fire on the poor boy. He died on the spot. That was also on the eve of the August 9 election. The criminals are still at large.

Apart from this brutalisation, other mean things were done against APC supporters including the confiscation of mobile phones at the DSS office as “spoils of war.”
At the end of the day, they lost the Osun governorship election. “Hurricane Rauf”, as the Sun Newspaper put it, swept away the 73,000-man army to retain his governorship crown. However, Osun people who supported Rauf Adesola Aregbesola to win that battle paid a heavy price. Among them were the young man shot dead in Ilesha for wearing Aregbesola’s campaign vest and Pa Fakayode who tenaciously kept faith with the APC and had to suffer brutalisation and humiliation by so-called “peace keepers” the PDP sent to help Omisore win.
The full story of August 1-9, 2014 cannot be fully told in one newspaper report. Newspapers don’t have space for the whole report but this one is only intended to give the readers a sense of the threat that still hangs on our stunted democratic space and the nature of the battle ahead for the soul of democracy in Nigeria.
The Osun election could well be a test case and one, which has shown that the landmines strewn on our road to democratic governance are lethal indeed. However, depending on how we rise up to the challenge, as the people of Osun did, we can overcome.

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