by Admin | Apr 17, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI An inmate of the Kuje Maximum Prison, Abuja, Ifeanyi Ezenwa, has been accused of coordinating series of frauds, which netted members of his syndicate millions of naira. According to the Inspector-General Police Special Intelligence Response Team, which burst the syndicate, the members of the gang specialised in defrauding their victims, especially businessmen through the use of fake bank alerts. Ezenwa was described as a notorious fraudster, who had defrauded car and auto spare parts dealers in many states including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. A source at the IRT explained that the syndicate operated by approaching traders intending to buy goods from them. The source said, “After negotiations, they would ask their victims to forward their account number in order to do a money transfer. They would inform their victim that the transfer had been made and the victim would receive an alert to the effect. But when a victim goes to the bank to confirm his balance, the money would not be in the account. “They did this mostly late on Fridays knowing that banks do not work on weekends and the victim may not be able to make any confirmation in the banking halls. “Usually, some victims would release the goods to them. The leader of the gang who is in prison, uses a smart phone that is connected to the internet and browses through online retail sites like OLX, JiJi and Jumia, where he connects with people who wants to sell their valuables especially cars, chatting with them via Whatsapp.” It was learnt that when he buys a vehicle, usually very expensive ones, he...
by Admin | Apr 17, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI The Enugu State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers, who disguised as cattle rearers on the outskirt of Akpugo community near Enugu. The command’s spokesman, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, said on Saturday that the the suspects were arrested after a gun battle on April 11. “The feat was achieved by a painstaking operation after the police received information on the hideout of the criminals in a thick bush outside the community.” Amaraizu said preliminary investigation had indicated that the suspects were from Kaduna and Bauchi States. He said: “It was gathered that suspects had allegedly at gun point, abducted one Mr Amobi Chibuoke, a passenger and a driver Mr Johnson Agah on March 18 and demanded for N10 million ransom which was later reduced to N4 million.” The police spokesman explained that the victims were abducted on Amagunze-Ezza Road while returning from a traditional marriage in Ezza Agu in Ebonyi. Amaraizu disclosed that the victims had revealed that they were fed with rice once daily and blindfolded throughout their stay with the abductors. “Meanwhile a full scale investigation has commenced into the incident as the suspects, with bullet wounds, are receiving medical attention to enable them recovery quickly,’’ he said. Source: Today...
by Admin | Apr 14, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Giving a breakdown of the arrests, Bello said that four suspects were arrested on Tuesday at Crusher Village along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja. The Kogi Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested nine suspected hard drug peddlers and dealers in the last four weeks. The Commandant, Mr. Idris Bello, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lokoja that the command also seized 1,020.1 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) from the suspects. Giving a breakdown of the arrests, Bello said that four suspects were arrested on Tuesday at Crusher Village along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja. “One of those arrested, Maharazu Mohammedhad, had 147 blocks of packed Indian hemp, weighing 199.2 kilogrammes, hidden in sheets of rough cartons. “From Mohammed’s account, the consignment was to be delivered to one Dan Hutu of Hotoro quarters in Kano,” he said. He said that another suspect, Philip Dangla, 32, who hails from Plateau, had 37.2 kilogrammes of the substance which he was taking to Zaria. According to him, the driver of the vehicle, Sanusi Sani and the conductor, Abdullahi Mohammed, were equally arrested. Bello further said that another suspect, Stanley Duru, 44, from Orlu in Imo, was arrested on March 20, with 421 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 377.8 kilogrammes. The commandant said that the hard drug was concealed in false compartments constructed in a Volkswagen Combi bus. He alleged that the suspect, who was intercepted at Crusher village in Lokoja, loaded the hard drug in the vehicle at Otua town in Edo. Bello added that the driver, Femi Ojabo, 27, from Isua in Ondo State,...
by Admin | Apr 14, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI A mobile police officer who confirmed the news to SaharaReporters said some police officers from the Owo police station killed the wanted gangster in a surprise operation carried out in commando-style. The police in Ondo State have killed a notorious armed robbery suspect simply known as Gani. Some residents of Owo town in Owo local government area of the state said Gani had been terrorizing them for months. The late Gani, who was also known as “Elese,” was shot dead Thursday afternoon at one of his hideouts named “Jugbere Camp”. The hideout was near a farm settlement and close to a forest reserve. A mobile police officer who confirmed the news to SaharaReporters said some police officers from the Owo police station killed the wanted gangster in a surprise operation carried out in commando-style. He disclosed the officers who shot Gani were mostly detectives from the anti-robbery squad in the “A” Divisional Police Station in the Owo area of the state. A resident in the area, Segun Alake, told SaharaReporters that a group of local vigilantes helped detectives in the community to chase after the notorious hoodlum before he was killed in an exchange of gunfire. The source disclosed that Gani was also suspected of being a hitman for a well known cult group and had been on the police watchlist for several murder cases and various violent crimes. “Gani and his group of fleeing members, who were mostly cultists, had been terrorizing the peace of the local communities in Owo,” said Mr. Alake. Another resident, Adebola Adebimbe, also told SaharaReporters that there was wild jubilation in...
by Admin | Apr 14, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Lagos State Police Command on Thursday confirmed the killing of three of its men and two community leaders by unidentified gunmen at Oko-Asagun village in Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos. The gunmen also abducted four staff of two Telecommunication companies. Lagos Police Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, who confirmed the incident, said the policemen killed, were taken by surprise. He said the command was after the suspected gunmen, assuring that measures would be taken to ensure the release of those held captive NAN gathered that the gunmen had stormed the place from Ode-Omi creek, a border town between Lagos and Ogun States, to commit the crime. An eyewitness, Jude Ajagun, said those abducted were staff of TYDACOM Limited and Erickson Limited. “We were working in a site being developed by one Onoside ,who contracted us. “While on duty, we started hearing sporadic gunshots and we scampered for safety; I hid beside some blocks, while I was watching the scene. “I saw about six heavily armed men; three were wearing mask and they sighted three policemen attached to an estate developer and shot them dead. Two other civilians were also shot while four others were injured. “The gunmen thereafter, abducted four staff of Telecom companies and marched them towards Ode-Omi,” AJagun said. A staff of Ericson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they had been keeping vigil since Wednesday. He said that as at Thursday, the gunmen were yet to establish contact with the company. “We are expecting a call from them to know what they want as ransom, but they...
by Admin | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI A 14-year-old boy, name withheld, was on Tuesday appeared in an Ota Senior Magistrates’ Court in Ogun for allegedly defiling a seven-year-old girl, name withheld. The accused, who lives at No. 6, Ifelodun Community, Oke-Ore, Atan, Ota, is facing a charge of defilement. The prosecutor, Sgt. Chudu Gbesi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on April 2 at 11.30 a.m at his residence. He said that the accused had an unlawful carnal knowledge of the seven-year-old girl. Gbesi said that the offence contravened Section 32 of the Child Right Law, Law of Ogun, 2006. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Senior Magistrate, Mr S. O. Banwo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum. He said that the sureties must be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment to the Ogun Government. Banwo also ordered that one of the sureties must be closed relation of the accused while the other must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction. He adjourned the case till May 9 for hearing. Source: Today...
by Admin | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI An FCT High Court, sitting in Jabi, on Tuesday, sentenced one Amos Alabi, a Civil Defence Officer to five years in prison for criminal breach of trust and other fraud related offences. Alabi was in 2015 charged with 11 offences including fraud and criminal breach of trust before Justice Halilu Yusuf of the court. Yusuf said he was convinced that 36-year-old defendant, actually committed the case of criminal breach of trust and freed him from other 10 charges. “The court finds it difficult to corroborate the statement made by the defendant while he was giving evidence led by his counsel and during his cross examination led by the prosecution counsel,’’ he said. The judge said that the testimony given by the defendant when he was been led in evidence by his counsel, Mr J.C Njikoye contradicted the ones he gave when he was being cross examined by the prosecution, Mohammed Saraya. The judge said that the prosecution was able to prove the allegation of criminal breach of trust based on the evidence placed before the court by a prosecution witness. Yusuf, who did not give an option of fine, added that the statement admitted by the defendant when the officers of the corps were investigating the issues surrounding the case, also testified to the defendant committing the crime. According to the judge, characters such as that of the defendant deserves to be kept away from the public and that the judgment will serve as a deterrent to those who might want to emulate the character. However, the judge discharged and acquitted the defendant for the other 10-count...
by Admin | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Detectives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two suspects who posed as passengers and killed an Uber driver, in an attempt to steal his vehicle. The suspects and one other, who is at large, strangled the driver, Innevosa Emmanuel, and disposed him of his KIA RIO salon car marked KTU 594DM. They boarded the vehicle from Ikeja to Ogba, Oke-Ira during which they suddenly ordered the driver to make a U-turn and take them to Oremeji Street, Obawole area of Ogba, where he was strangled and the vehicle was driven away. According to one of the suspects, he said they were three that participated in the killing of the driver. “I and Michael met at Ogba where I went to drink and we became friends. I told him how difficult things were for me that I needed to relocate to Benin to start all over again. “It was at this point that Michael told me about a deal that could fetch me some money that we could get a car and then sell it to his boss. “Michael then told me about one Alex (Emmanuel) who had a vehicle and we agreed to meet the following day. Since then we had been meeting and discussing how to buy the vehicle. “On the fateful day the Uber driver came, I was with Michael in his office and his friend Destiny was with him but I don’t know if he discussed the vehicle deal with Destiny. “Around 9:30p.m, we called the Uber driver to come and pick us at Tantalizer eatery at...
by Admin | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Six men are standing trial in a Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly belonging to a gang of thieves. The defendants – Michael Olayende, Yohanne Sunday, Gangi Musa, Isang Tom, Emmanuel Egbu and Jerry Musa, of no fixed addresses, are facing trial on a one-count charge of belonging to a gang of thieves. According to the prosecutor, Fidelis Ogbobe, a police patrol team, headed by Sgt. Bulus Jidai, raided an alleged criminal hideout in Apo Mechanic village, Abuja and arrested the six suspects on April 8. “They were intercepted and suspected to be members of a gang of thieves that had been terrorising Apo and its environs in the recent past. “When they were all questioned, they could not give satisfactory accounts of themselves and their means of livelihood,’’ Ogbobe said. He said that the offence was contrary to Section 306 of the Penal Code. All the six defendants denied the charge preferred against them. The judge, Mr Umar Kagarko, admitted all the defendants to bail in the sum of N30, 000 each and one surety each in like sum. He adjourned hearing in the matter till June 6. Source: Today...
by Admin | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Cultists and youths bearing arms in Ogoniland have murdered a site engineer identified as Ade Adeyemo, working for a contractor renovating Birabi Memorial Grammar School, Bori, in Khana Local Government Area. The engineer was allegedly murdered on Tuesday morning. It was learnt that the killers felt that the engineer had been a stumbling block from the continuous looting of building materials at the project site. The school is one of those selected by Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration for renovation. According to a close source to the family of the deceased: “It has been very difficult breaking the sad news to parents because of their state of health. His mother is hypertensive, while his father is recuperating from partial stroke.” It was further learnt that the General Overseer of the church where the family worships had been contacted to find a subtle way of breaking the news without causing serious trauma to the parents. Omoni Nnamdi, the Rivers Police Public Relations Officer told our correspondent exclusively on phone that the incident was true. “I can confirm to you that it is true. When we were alerted, before our men got to the scene, they took off. I can assure that the culprits have been identified and we are on their trail” The corpse of the late Engineer Ade Adeyemo has been moved from Ogoniland and taken to the Kpaima Morgue in Port Harcourt. Source: P.M...
by Admin | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI No fewer than seven persons died in renewed cult clashes in Ilorin, Kwara State between Friday and Sunday. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the clashes occurred in different parts of Ilorin such as Ikororo, Baboko, Osere, Olunlande, Egbejila and Coca-Cola Road. The clashes, according to a source, involved members of the Aiye and Eiye confraternities. The source told NAN that the latest incident was in response to the gruesome killing of a suspected cultist identified as Tobi at Coca-Cola road. NAN had on Thursday reported the killing of one Abiodun Aremu, popularly known as Abbey, at Ikororo area of Niger Road in the metropolis. NAN also gathered that an unidentified man was on Saturday killed at Egbejila. A resident of the area, who craved anonymity, said the gunmen trailed the victim to the spot where he was murdered. The resident said: “The man was riding on a motorcycle from Temidire area on Airport-Egbejila Road when another motorcycle with three gunmen intercepted him. “They pushed him off the motorcycle and shot him at close range.” The assailants, however, spared the victim’s friend, who was on the motorcycle with him. Some suspected cult members also launched an attack on Friday at Olunlade area of Ilorin, where an unidentified man was killed. The incident was said to have occurred at about 4pm, causing panic in the area. A similar incident also occurred at Olufadi area, off Edun Street, where one Ayo Shuaib was killed. NAN learnt that a teacher with Government Secondary School, Afon, Olatunji Ahmed, popularly known as Itu, was also gunned down at Osere. Ahmed was...
by Admin | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Chief Magistrate Court in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday remanded four undergraduate students in prison custody over allegations of armed robbery. The four students are Olawale Olabisi, 24, from the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko; Oluwole Rufus, 25, from the College of Health Technology, Akure; Oluwalowo Olarenwaju, 26; and Ikwoma Ikechuwku, 25. The students were brought before Magistrate Victoria Bob-Manuel over a two-count charge of felony and armed robbery after being accused of robbing a resident of No. 14 Temidire Street, Ire-Akari Estate, Akure. They allegedly robbed the resident, Akinyemi Hassan, of two mobile phones and an iPad, a total value of N93,000. The robbery took place at about 11:30 p.m. on March 20, 2017, according to a police report acquired by a SaharaReporters correspondent in Akure. Police prosecutor Martins Olowofeso told the Magistrate Court that police recovered a Toyota Corolla (registration no. AKR 95 FW), three ATM cards, and N34,000 in cash from the four students. Mr. Olowofeso said the offense committed by the students was punishable under sections 6(a) & (b), and 1, 2(a) & (b) of the Robbery and Firearms Special Provision Act of 2004. He asked the Magistrate Court to adjourn the robbery case since the court lacks jurisdiction to rule on the matter. The police prosecutor later pleaded with the court to remand the students in prison custody pending the outcome of legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). Olu Daramola, the legal counsel to the four accused students, did not oppose the application made by the police prosecutor. In her ruling, Mrs. Bob-Manuel ordered that the...
by Admin | Apr 11, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI A 33 -year-old trader, Umeme Lotachukwu Fabian, arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, with drugs suspected to be methamphetamine weighing 1.205kg, has blamed his indulgence on the need to raise money for wedding. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, travelling to Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia, claimed to be an Ivorian. He was arrested while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Indonesia with a Cote d’lvoire international passport bearing the name Grou Bi Clauvis. NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba, however, said that during investigation, it was revealed that the suspect hailed from Anambra State with the name Umeme Lotachukwu Fabian. In his statement, the suspect disclosed that he was offered five thousand dollars to smuggle the drugs to Indonesia. “I am the only son of my parents. I wanted to invest the money in my clothes business and also commence preparation for my marriage in a bid to settle down in life. They offered me five thousand naira to smuggle the drugs to Indonesia”, he stated. Fabian explained that he was not aware that drug trafficking attracts capital punishment in Indonesia” , he said . Source: Vanguard...
by Admin | Apr 11, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Rival cult groups engaged in gun battle on the streets of Ilorin, Kwara State capital during which four men were allegedly killed. Vanguard gathered that several shops and homes around Baboko,Osere,Ikokoro areas of Ilorin where the gun fight took place had been under lock since Thursday night when the incident occurred as shop owners and residents feared being hit by stray bullets. A similar incident had occurred around the same Ikokoro area in 2016 after a suspected cult member, Wasiu Adanri, was murdered. Sunday Vanguard sources said the Thursday night’s gun fight started after one of the victims, simply identified as ‘Abbey’, was shot dead around Ikokoro area. The unidentified gunmen, believed to be of a rival cult group,were said to have stormed the area at about 7.45pm and allegedly went straight to the apartment of the victim and fired several gun bullets at him. The victim, who was allegedly confirmed dead by his killers before they left, was said to have been a member of a cult. The colleagues of the victim, in a reprisal attack, were said to have trailed the assailants to Baboko and Osere areas of Ilorin, on Friday, engaging them in gun fight till yesterday morning, during which three others were allegedly shot dead. Contacted, police public relations officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, however, confirmed that only one life was lost in the cult clash. Source: Vanguard...
by Admin | Apr 10, 2017 | Blog
Follow @NigeriaPI Troops of the 33 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Bauchi have arrested seven suspected fake currency merchants in the city and Kano State. Parading the suspects at the brigade headquarters in Bauchi, the capital, Assistant Director, Army Public Relations Officer, Major Joseph Afolashade, said the troops acted on a tip-off to arrest the fake currency vendors around a popular market area. He revealed that soldiers dressed in plain clothes, stormed the busy Wunti Market on March 31, 2017, and arrested one Mallam Idris Hassan in the process. Afolashade said, “As of the time of his arrest, he was in possession of N21, 000 fake (N1, 000) currency notes. He claimed that the fake currency notes were given to him by one Mallam Auwal Wanzam, who resides in Bauchi.” Afolashade said other suspects arrested across the two states include Mallam Sani Ibrahim, who was nabbed in the Bauchi metropolis, Abdulahi Suleiman, Zubairu Ya’u and Isyaku Hardo, apprehended at Karfin Madaki, Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State. According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that they also have a syndicate group in Kano State, where one Malam Abubakar Musa was eventually arrested. He stated that the sum of N26, 000 fake currencies were also recovered from them thus bringing the total amount of recovered counterfeit notes to N47, 000. Afolashade, however, revealed that the suspected gang leader and the printer of the syndicate, Malam Suleiman Abubakar, from Kafin Madaki, Ganjuwa Local Government area of Bauchi State, was still at large. Source: Today...
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