LG worker detained for sharing name with UK-based woman

A local government worker, Mercy Oluwafeyibunmi, has been arrested by the police and detained at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (Annex), Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
It was gathered that the woman, who had been in detention for two weeks, had also been admitted to the police clinic at Alagbon after falling ill.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the offence of the mother of three was that she bore the same middle name, Adetokunbo, with one Eileen, a Nigerian based in the United Kingdom.
Our correspondent gathered that Eileen sent a representative to an Ondo State High Court, who swore to an affidavit, claiming that Mercy’s middle name was “imposive.”

Mercy, 35, was subsequently arrested and detained at the Force CIID Annex, Alagbon, since July 7.
Investigations by PUNCH Metro, however, revealed that Mercy and Eileen’s differences were beyond a middle name.
The two women’s ex-lover, Bankole Ogunnowo, who is based in the UK, was at the centre of the conflict.

Our correspondent gathered that Bankole and Mercy had a brief relationship in Nigeria in 2006, which produced a baby girl, named Damilola.
Bankole later married Eileen and they both relocated to London, UK, where they also had a child together before they broke up.

Eileen, while allegedly seeking sole custody of their child, told a London court that her estranged husband was not to be trusted with children because he performed Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on Damilola, the child he had with Mercy.
Mercy, who got wind of the allegation, deposed to an affidavit, dated November 27, 2015, clearing Bankole of the charges.

In the affidavit, which revealed her name as Mercy Adetokunbo Oluwafeyibunmi, she stated that FGM was also a criminal offence in Nigeria.
However, one Oyebo, who acted for Eileen, swore to a counter-affidavit before an Ondo State High Court, accusing Mercy of stealing Eileen’s name.

Bankole told PUNCH Metro that the accusation  was the beginning of Mercy’s ordeal.
He said, “Eileen denied me access to the child she had for me in the UK. I went to court so I could take my child out once in a while despite our separation. But she told the court that I belonged to a gang in Nigeria called OPC, and that we kidnap children to do FGM for them.

“She said I did that for the daughter that Mercy had for me in Nigeria. It became a concern to the UK authorities because I also work with children here (UK). I contacted Mercy and asked if I did that for my child and she said no. I asked her to swear to an affidavit, which she did. The affidavit was sent to London.
“Eileen alleged that Mercy stole one of her names in order to bring my daughter, Damilola, to the UK.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that the counter-affidavit by Oyebo was given to the Commissioner of Police in charge of Interpol, CP Olushola Subair.
The commissioner was reported to have written the London court, saying Bankole  and Mercy were being investigated.

After Bankole won the court case against this ex-wife in February 2017, some individuals were alleged to have threatened Mercy for her role in the matter.
The woman allegedly got a Federal High Court’s injunction forbidding any harassment.
However, despite the injunction, she was arrested and taken to the FCIID, Alagbon.

Mercy’s husband in Nigeria, Nicholas Oluwafeyibunmi, with whom she had two children in Akure, lamented that his wife was being harassed for the assistance she rendered to Bankole.
He said, “On the day she was arrested, she wanted to pick our child at school. A man called my wife that he wanted to see her at a place.

“When the call became intense, I decided to follow her, together with another friend. The caller brought out the Whatsapp picture of my wife and asked if she was the one. We didn’t know he had called the police.

“Suddenly, some policemen from the Ondo State Police Command came in and took her to the Yaba Police Division. They later sent a signal to those at Alagbon, Lagos, who came to take her away. Since then, she had been held incommunicado. I don’t know why they picked my wife. She did not commit any crime.”

Mercy, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Monday, said she had been admitted to the police clinic after she fell ill.
She said, “They said my crime was that somebody in the UK, who I did not know, said I stole one of her names. My name is Mercy, Joy, Adetokunbo. Why will steal her name?”
Mercy’s mother, Gbonjubola, said Adetokunbo was among Mercy’s names.

She said, “When I gave birth to her, I named her Anu, Joy. She had up to 10 names given by different relatives. Her father, who was away, came back and gave her Adetokunbo. For the past two weeks, I don’t know where my daughter is. Please help us.”

Eileen’s father, Jimi Odumosu, did not pick his calls when our correspondent called him on Monday.
However, in a recorded conversation he had with Bankole, which was obtained by PUNCH Metro, Odumosu urged a peaceful resolution of the matter, saying he was separated from Eileen’s mother and he was not sure if she (Eileen) would listen to him.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCIID, Alagbon, Mr. Abutu Yaro, confirmed that the suspect was in custody.

He, however, said he did not know the details of the case.
He said, “That case was investigated by Interpol Lagos and was sent to Interpol Abuja. The Interpol Abuja then wrote a note on the case file that the police lawyer attached to General Investigation, FCIID, should take the matter to court. So, I don’t know about the case. It is not our case.

The lawyer that they asked to prosecute the case is the lawyer attached to my office, but I don’t know the offence. I don’t know anything about the court process.”

Eileen did not pick her calls as her phone rang out severally, while a text message sent to her line had yet to be responded to as of press time.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, had also yet to respond to a text message from PUNCH Metro.

Punch Report

Beggars in Nigeria will start paying tax – FG

The Nigerian government has stated that no one would be left out in the campaign to enlarge the tax revenue.

She said some beggars were earning millions and that “proceeds from begging are taxable. You are supposed to pay taxes even if your means of income is begging”.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said this in Lagos at a lecture at PWC’s Business School, with the theme: ‘Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) Interactive Session for Executives and Business Owners.’

She said to ascertain the income status of the companies/individuals and their lifestyle, investigators would rely on information derived from Bank Verification Number (BVN), records of property ownership, records of foreign exchange allocation, and records of company ownership from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), among others.

Adeosun said: “We are using some firms to trace assets internationally.The investigators’ findings will enable us to compare the income and how much tax the company/person is really paying, and that gives us lots of information.

“But we encourage people to come up and pay their taxes willingly. You can register a high-end car. It tells me something about your income.

“So, we look at your tax returns. If you registered Mercedes E-Class and you are paying N100,000 tax, then something is wrong. Those are red flags. We now have the capacity to assess people accurately.

“We are trying to build an economy where we have oil and other things. It is going to be oil plus and wider economy”.

Daily Post Report

Raped to death : Two married women suffer sad fate at same spot in Plateau

•    Another survives, yet to recover from ordeal
it’s been an agonizing moment for a 27-year-old mother of two, five weeks after she was allegedly raped by two teenage Fulani herders at a farm not far away from her home.

The woman, Ka-gyang James, had gone to the farm located a few kilometres away from Diyan village in Rim district of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, when the teenagers, who ostensibly had been lurking around, struck and allegedly raped her in turns.

Since June 6, 2017, when the incident occurred, she is yet to recover from the pain and shock of her traumatic experience; and as at last week, she was still in Jos, the state capital, where she was said to have been temporarily relocated by CWEENS, a non-governmental organization, on June 10, 2017, for post-trauma counseling and rehabilitation.

Though she was able to identify her assailants who were picked up by the police, according to reports, she is now a shadow of herself.

Her husband, James Ishaku, aged 35, could barely express his thoughts when Sunday Sun encountered him recently at Rim village. He merely murmured a few words as he sat on a wooden chair. At intervals, he took a glance at his two daughters seated by him, Rahila and Peace, aged four and two respectively, shook and bowed his head, evidently drowned in self-pity.

His wife, Ka-gyang, is fortunate to be alive, but Rebecca Reuben, a young woman who hails from Tahoss village in the same local government area, was not that lucky. Last year, precisely on April 25, she was savagely raped to death by alleged herdsmen in Gwa-chwel, at a black spot the locals said had become a danger zone for their women.

Rebecca was 21 years old, nursing her first baby when the incident occurred. Her body was dumped in an open area by her assailants who left no trace as they fled.

The baby, now aged 2, is battling for survival without the care of a mother and left to a father, whose emotional wounds are still fresh, and who politely declined an interview with our correspondent to avoid being bruised emotionally, by the weight of recounting the horrific experience his wife passed through.
Another Plateau State indigene, 45-year-old Pwajok Davou shares the same fate with him.

The difference, however, is that Pwajok was courageous enough to recount the horrendous details of how Sarah, his beloved wife and mother of seven, was gruesomely raped to death at the same spot in Gwa-chwel, and her body thrown into a stream.

But he struggled to fight back tears as he narrated how the 40-year-old woman went on a journey of no return few metres away from their home in search of firewood to prepare breakfast for the family, shortly after they returned from an early morning-prayer session about 6.am of the ill-fated day.

“On that day, we went for morning prayers about 5am and came back home about 6am,” Pwajok recalled.  “She decided to go and fetch firewood at a nearby farm without knowing that some Fulani boys had laid ambush; they shot their guns into the air to scare people and dragged her into the bush, where they had been raping women.

They tied her to a tree for one week and raped her; when I reported the matter to the STF (Special Task Force) personnel at Sector 9 in Rahoss, they came to my house and assured me that they will bring my wife back; that they were in touch with the Fulani who abducted her. She was later raped to death and her body dumped in a stream,” he said painfully.

Five days later, her badly decomposed body was recovered following an alarm raised by one of his friends who sighted it at a corner of the stream. “Since then, life has been horrible for me; she was the only wife I had and I doubt if I can ever remarry,” Pwajok, who hails from Diyan village, lamented in an interview with Sunday Sun.

He says the memories of his late wife, who he married 27 years ago, will remain evergreen, and the emotional scar inflicted on him too difficult to erase, but the seven children she left behind, aged between 21 and 4, give him a ray of hope and a reason to continue living.

“Some of my children are in school; others are living in the cities with my relations. Since that horrific incident occurred, it has been traumatic for me, it has been a nightmare; for those who gruesomely raped my wife to death, I leave them to God, with the hope that He will wipe away my sorrow and agony; my children are my hope, they comfort me; but God is the greatest comforter,” he said.

Mr. Solomon Daliop, a lawyer and rights activist, who hails from Jol, a neighbouring community, expressed concern over the rising incidents of rape in Rim district. He is particularly worried that in most cases, the perpetrators go scot-free, while victims and members of their family are left to lick their wounds in pain.

“The case of Ka-gyang, who survived a gang-rape, is indeed, worrisome. While the two suspects who she was able to identify, were arrested and are still in custody, the manner the police handled the case, leaves much to be desired.

I have been following the case diligently, and as at last week, I was told the suspects had been arraigned before a magistrate court at Kasua-nama in Jos, but the charges were not disclosed and the nominal complainant not notified. This cloudy situation has prompted intervention by the International Federation of Women Lawyers,” he disclosed.

Last month, the Plateau State chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), also lent its voice on the need for justice for Ka-gyang, just as it expressed dismay on the increase in rape incidents in the state.

A statement issued by the chairperson, Mrs. Jennifer Yarima reads in part: “NAWOJ in Plateau State is appealing to the state government to take urgent measures towards curbing the menace of increasing wave of rape and other violent conducts against vulnerable women in the state through the legislation of strong laws to deal with perpetrators.

NAWOJ also condemns the alleged rape and indecent assault of a nursing mother by a herdsman and his younger brother, while the victim was returning from her farm at Diyen, Rim District of Riyom Local Government Area.”

Sunday Sun

PARISHIONERS IN SHOCK AS CATHOLIC PRIEST SHOOTS COLLEAGUE IN IMO

Rev. Fr. Christian Amusuo, the parish priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Eziama –  Osuama in Isiala Mbano Council area of Imo State may have sown doubt and confusion in the minds of members of his congregation on what to do with Jesus Christ’s teaching on love, peace and anger management, as recorded in the scriptures, with his alleged shooting of his assistant, identified as Fr. Precious over a disagreement that turned violent on June 23, this year.

Although the victim survived the gun attack, it has stirred a major scandal in the parish, with police arrest of the trigger-happy priest, who has also been suspended from office by the Bishop of Okigwe Catholic Diocese, Anthony Ilonu.

Details of the cause of their altercation was unknown, but, Saturday Sun learnt that both clerics had been having a running battle, with Fr. Amusuo complaining of insubordination by Precious.

While the bishop was said to have been very furious about the scandalous behaviour of Amusuo, the incident has also left the parishioners shocked and in dilemma on the apparently poor moral example demonstrated by their shepherd.

The church members said the shooting incident was the climax of an intractable personal problem between the two priests, noting that the parish priest had allegedly accused his assistant of flouting his orders in the past. 

One of the parishioners told Saturday Sun that the clash was an open secret in the church, but noted that the parishioners could not intervene as they lacked the power over the priests. His words: “We had noticed that the two priests had been having a running battle before we heard the sad news that the parish priest had shot his assistant after a heated argument. 

We also learnt that  Fr. Amusuo had often complained that his Assistant always disobeyed his instructions and that had always been a source of friction between the two priests and we as laity cannot intervene in their matter, because they are supposed to be our shepherds. 

It is only the Bishop of the Okigwe Diocese who can settle their matter. So, we are not surprised that their quarrel degenerated to that extent, which is very sad”.

He remarked that the gun attack was sacrilegious as the priest should have taken the case to their superior.

A member of the Catholic Women Organization in the church, who did not want her name in print, said church members were shocked when they heard of the incident, but noted that no matter the provocation, the parish priest, as a man of God, should not have done what he did. 

“We are not happy that our parish is in the news for the wrong reasons, because what had happened should not have happened in the first instance . We as mothers of the church know how to handle such problem if they were not priests. But we are powerless to act in the matter, because we don’t really know the main cause. 

But, we heard that Father Amusuo and Father Precious, who is the assistant, had been quarreling over  administrative issues.” She suggested that the bishop should sanction them, especially the assistant priest, as he was supposed to be loyal to his boss. “If he is not comfortable working with his boss, he should have asked the bishop to transfer him to another parish, instead of fighting, which is not expected of priests,”she said.

  However, an indigene of the community Nweke Chibuzor, said it was disgraceful for a priest to assault his colleague with a gun and advised that Amusuo be expelled from the church to serve as deterrent to others.

“If a priest shoots his fellow priest over a disagreement, what will he do to an ordinary person? As a priest, if your assistant is stubborn, you have to pray to God for him to change, not by shooting him. What if he had died? The priest would have been standing for murder.”

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, said the Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, had ordered immediate investigation into  the circumstances surrounding the incident.

He said the priest had been released, while the gun had been recovered from him.

Saturday Sun Report

US returnee dies at Lagos airport

A Nigerian male passenger, who was identified as Dada Isaac Olusola, slumped and died moments after disembarking from an Emirates Airlines flight that had touched down the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos late Wednesday, sources told Daily Sun.

The deceased is believed to have died of cardiac arrest. “Olusola had flown into Lagos with passport number:A04501199 at about 3.55pm with Emirates Airlines from the United States of America with a stopover in Dubai, UAE,” the source said.

“While we were monitoring at 4:18pm, we gathered that the aforementioned passenger slumped on arrival disembarkation from the aircraft at the checkpoint screening point where he was quickly attended to and given medication by Airport Clinical Personnel.

However the passenger was later pronounced dead at 5:34pm. The passenger was accompanied by his wife and members of the Lions Club.

His remains has been taken away by his wife to the Morgue at 6:00. We were later informed that the passenger and wife arrived from the USA.

He was said to have died of Cardiac arrest,” the source who preferred to remain anonymous said.

Daily Sun Report

Policemen torture Lagos motorcycle rider to death

A motorcycle rider, Ibrahim Kosoko, has been killed after he was allegedly tortured by some policemen attached to the Area D Police Command, Mushin, Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that 41-year-old Ibrahim was among nine suspects picked up by the operatives during a raid on a shopping complex at Rainbow bus-stop, Agege-Motor Road, Mushin.

The policemen were said to have arrested some persons in some shops and demanded from them the whereabouts of one Ilesanmi, who was alleged to be among the masterminds of the mayhem that was created sometime in April 2017, in the Idi-Oro area of the state.

The suspects, who denied knowing Ilesanmi’s whereabouts, were said to have been taken to the area command where they were detained.

Our correspondent was told that the Investigating Police Officer, one Eric, allegedly accused Ibrahim of being Ilesanmi and descended on the Lagos State indigene.

Eric was said to have been joined by other policemen, who allegedly told the victim to either confess to being Ilesanmi or give information on his whereabouts.

It was gathered that a policeman attached to the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Team later intervened and got Ibrahim and another suspect released.

Ibrahim was said to have succumbed to his injuries and died on Saturday.
One of the shop owners, who identified himself simply as Muazu, told PUNCH Metro that Ibrahim and other customers were arrested by the policemen last week Monday.

He said, “Some people were eating in my noodle shop, while some others were chatting when the policemen appeared suddenly and arrested them. I don’t know their offences. The policemen didn’t say anything.”
One of those arrested that night, who identified himself only as Azeez, said the raid occurred around 11pm.

He said, “When we got to the station, they said they were looking for Ilesanmi. Ibrahim was the one they tortured the most because the IPO, Eric, said he must tell them where Ilesanmi was. At another time, Eric said Ibrahim was the one bearing the name.

The policemen took our fingerprints after which they took us to our houses to search for exhibits. They found nothing incriminating and returned us to the cell.”

Another suspect, Isiaka Gbadamosi, a vulcanizer, said the policemen punched Ibrahim on different parts of his body.
“We were there from Monday till Wednesday. I think Ibrahim sustained internal injuries from the beatings,” he added.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the owner of two shops in the complex, whose workers were also arrested, Tunde Yusuf, contacted the policeman with the IGP monitoring team, identified simply as Supol Ben.
Yusuf said he begged Ben to help in securing the bail of his workers, as well as Ibrahim.

“I own a lottery shop and a bar in the complex. My workers had closed for the day and were relaxing when they were arrested.

Ben knew Ibrahim because the rider sometime took him free of charge to his destinations. When he heard about the incident, he went to mediate. But the police only released Ibrahim and Isiaka (Gbadamosi) to him,” he added.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the families of the other seven suspects paid sums ranging from N7,000 to N12,000 before they were eventually freed.

Our correspondent learnt that Ibrahim took ill shortly after returning from the police station on Wednesday.

The widow, Funmilayo Kosoko, 39, said Ibrahim gave up on Saturday after complaining of pains.
She said, “I was told that a policeman hit him on the head with a big stick during the torture. When he returned, he complained of pains. He died on Saturday. I want the government to arrest that IPO and give us justice.”

PUNCH Metro was told that the father of four learnt tailoring as a trade, but ventured into commercial motorcycle operation to get quick money to support his family.

Our correspondent gathered that the victim was buried in Ikorodu on Monday.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, denied the allegation of torture.

He said, “The Area Commander said there was no torture and that the suspects arrested were suspected to be part of the Idi-Oro mayhem.

As a result, they were questioned and interviewed and it was discovered they had no specific place of abode. A senior officer came for the bail of three of them, including the man in question. He was not tortured or assaulted.”

Punch Report

How MTN employees, bankers ‘fleeced’ customers of N150m

• They are distribution partner workers, says firm

Operatives of the Police’ Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) Ikoyi, Lagos State, have arrested two employees of telecommunications firm, MTN, three bankers and six others for allegedly defrauding subscribers of over N150 million.

Chukwunonso Ifeanyi, 30, and Okpetu John, 29, who both confirmed they were MTN employees, were paraded alongside the bankers, Oyelade Shola, 32; Osuolale Hammid, 40; and Akeem Adesina, 33 by the spokesman for the SFU, ASP Lawal Audu.

Others include an ICT specialist, Salako Abdulsalam, 30; a pastor, James Idagu, 56; Sarumi Abubakar; Ismaeel Salami, 49; Akinola Oghuan, 34; and Sunday Okeke, 33.

The suspects were arrested in Lagos, Oyo and Kwara states with several Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards belonging to unsuspecting Nigerians, whose accounts were used to divert money belonging to those they defrauded, recovered from them.

According to the police, the suspects belonged to a syndicate that specialized in defrauding bank customers, who do not do Internet banking.

It was gathered that while the bankers supplied the details of customers with funded accounts to the gang, the MTN workers ensured that the victims’ mobile numbers, as well as those of people they had their ATMs were swapped for the duration of the crime.

According to Audu, blocking the numbers enabled the syndicate to fleece their victims, diverting the money into accounts they had ATM cards/pin, thereby preventing computer-generated text messages of transaction from being delivered to account owners.

He said: “The suspects transferred the money siphoned into about 40 other accounts with ATM in different banks. They usually carry out their operations at weekends and public holidays to avoid being detected by the bank monitoring mechanisms or the owners of targeted funded accounts.

“The effort of the police team eventually paid off when the same group was holding their final meeting at Domino Pizza eatery along Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, on the plan to unleash another monumental fraud on unsuspecting customers.

“Their plan was to defraud some bank customers between May 26 and 29. Detectives stormed the venue during which one of the major kingpin, Alhaji Ismaeel Salami, and four members of the syndicate were arrested.”

Ifeanyi, who said he suspected engineers at MTN headquarters as those behind the fraud, disclosed it was the fourth time it has happened in his branch.

He said: “I have no hand in that fraud. Someone used my access to do it and it was the fourth time it happened within a month. The first time, they used my Manager’s access, within two weeks, it was the Assistant Manager’s. The next person was a colleague before mine was used.

“All the times it happened, we were told to change our passwords, which we did. I suspect the engineers at the headquarters because they are the ones who usually gave us access to the systems.”

However, MTN PR Manager, Funso Aina, told The Guardian when contacted that those paraded at the SFU were not MTN workers. “Rather, they are employees of a distribution partner who runs a Connect Store.”

Guardian Report