YOBE MASSACRE: How my mates were killed – Survivor

“I was shot on my left leg, while I was sleeping.  When I woke up, I could not walk and was later taken to the girls hostel where the insurgents gathered us with the female students. They selected some of the female students and went away with them, while they left some of us groaning in pain from gun shot”. 

Those were the words of 14-year-old Ibrahim Musa Lampo, a JSS 2 student of Federal Government College, FGC, Bunu Yadi, Yobe State who was one of the lucky survivors of the Boko Haram massacre on Tuesday, which claimed the lives of 43 students. The insurgents also burnt the hostels, classrooms and more than 40 houses during the attack.

Ibrahim who recounted his experience while groaning in pains was receiving treatment for gunshot injuries at the General Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu.
His mother, Hajiya Hauwa Lampo, who was sitting beside him on the hospital bed lamented the inability of government to protect the lives of the innocent students. The mother passionately appealed to the Federal Government to “provide adequate security for all unity schools in Nigeria, particularly in the north eastern region of the country by constructing a fence that will shield the students from intruders. And if the government can not deploy adequate security personnel, they should despatch sniffer dogs into the schools to patrol every nook and corner and this will go a long way in curbing the insurgency.”

Ibrahim’s father, Mallam Musa Lampo, an immigration officer was still in shock over the incident and simply said: “I have committed everything into the hands of God.”
Boko Haram attacks
Thousands of Nigerians from the troubled North eastern states are fleeing into Niger Republic as the Boko Haram attacks heightens fears in the region.
A source in the North-East, yesterday, said tens of thousands of people have gone to Niger Republic to escape a wave of attacks and bombings by Islamist sect Boko Haram, which is fighting to carve out an Islamic country from the northern states.

The government in Niamey has granted them refugee status, but United Nations workers say it has also banned the construction of formal camps, fearing any structures could encourage an even bigger influx — or even bring fighters over the border.
“We’re living on the charity and hospitality of locals and aid organizations,” said 28-year-old Umara. “It’s difficult to feed my family. We eat once a day, twice at best.”
A spokesman for Niger’s Interior Ministry was not immediately available for comment. But Hassane Ardo Ido, General-Secretary of Diffa province, said authorities feared militants might infiltrate the camps and use them as bases. “We are trying to handle the situation and stop any act that could hurt our security,” he said.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, country representative in Niger, Karl Steinacker, said Niamey was particularly worried because most of the refugees came from the Kanuri ethnic group, a stronghold of Boko Haram.

“The authorities are worried the Nigerian insurgency might spill over into Niger,” he said.
Meanwhile, condemnations have continued to trail the massacre of the students.
Perpetrators should be swiftly brought to justice —UN Scribe
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon in a statement issued, yesterday, in New York, strongly condemned the brutal killing of students in Yobe. He expressed “sincere condolences to the bereaved families and hoped that the perpetrators would be “swiftly brought to justice”.
 - vanguard

Boy, 15, Exchanged For 2 Bags Of Rice

A yet to be identified man on Monday successfully traded a 15-year old boy, Seun Aderinwale, for two bags of rice valued at N20,000 at Igando in Alimosho area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.

According to eyewitness account, the man, whose address is unknown, went to 4, Ifesowapo Street, Igando, on Monday morning to buy two bags of rice from a shop owned by a woman identified as Iya Ibrahim.

The rice seller was not available at the time but her son, Ibrahim, agreed to the man’s proposal to drop Seun, an Aluminium apprentice, as collateral, in order to collect the two bags of rice and return later to pay.

However, when the shop owner returned in the afternoon, she was surprised to see Seun who was dropped there in exchange for the two bags of rice taken away by the unidentified man.

When the man failed to return, the 15-year old was held hostage until evening when the pastor of his church, a Celestial Church of Christ around the area, saw him at the shop looking despondent.

When Seun was questioned on how he came about the fraudster, he said he met him casually at Hotel Bus Stop about 300 metres to his residence where a church member had sent him on an errand to play lotto, popularly known as “Baba Ijebu”.

Seun said he did not know the man’s house or have other information about him.

The teenager later regained his freedom when the Celestial Church pastor, known simply as Oluso in the neighborhood, settled the matter with Iya Ibrahim, the rice seller.

He said the woman should take responsibility for one of the stolen bags of rice while Seun’s father, a co-worker with him in the church, should pay for the other bag of rice when he returned from his trip to Ifo in Ogun State. Seun’s father agreed to pay N10,000 for the bag of rice when he returned from Ifo.

P.M.NEWS learnt that the rice seller agreed to the pastor’s proposal and did not report the matter to the police.

“If I report the incident to the police, I cannot leave the station without spending money. Therefore, it is better for me to accept the proposal by Oluso, the rice seller told residents who gathered in front of her shop to watch the drama.

When Ibrahim was questioned why he allowed such an unusual arrangement, he told residents that the conman asked for two and half bags of rice, adding, “when the motorcycle was about to go with the two bags, I asked for the money but Seun assured me he was coming back for the half bag. He even claimed to be a close relation of the man.”

However, some hours after the man had disappeared and failed to return, Ibrahim said Seun retracted his earlier statement, saying he did not know the man.

-P.M. News

Babatunde Decided To Refund Money To Save Job’

Wife of late Ecobank worker, Babatunde Oke, who died in police custody on Thursday, has said her husband decided to pay back the money he was accused of stealing because he wanted to save his job.

Bunmi Oke, 29, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said Babatunde never stole N1.2m from the bank’s Automated Teller Machine.

PUNCH Metro had reported on Monday that the deceased was accused of stealing the money and was taken to the Falomo Police Station, Lagos State, by the bank.

Three days after being in the police custody, it was alleged that Oke was given a bottle of soft drink, after which he convulsed and died.

Bunmi said her husband died because “he trusted people too much.”

She said, “My husband had resumed in the office on Tuesday, a week before he was arrested, after going on a week leave. Immediately he resumed, he told me there was an issue on the ground that there was a shortage of funds in the ATM.

“He said the amount was N1.2m and he and his boss, who were custodian of the ATMs, had been asked to share the money and pay N600, 000 each.

“My husband is the head teller and his boss is the head of operation. The usual thing is that before money is uploaded into the ATM, my husband and his boss count it, and sign the certificate to show the money was complete.

“The office said they must return the money the same day else the matter would escalate and they could lose their jobs.

“Since my husband is the authoriser and he does not want to lose his job, he agreed to pay back the money.”

Bunmi said her husband borrowed N300, 000 from one of the junior workers, who later embarrassed him and seized his car when he could not refund the money the next day.

The mother of two told our correspondent that Babatunde ran to an uncle who lent him money to offset his debt and recover his car.

“But later, they said my husband will pay the whole money and they said if he doesn’t pay back by Monday, he would lose his job.

“He was so disturbed during the weekend as he kept running around to get loan and borrow money from people.”

The late banker was said to have got a call from one of his colleagues in the office who told him that the missing funds had become public knowledge, adding that he would be sacked after repaying the money.

The frustrated banker was said to have written his resignation letter, and decided that if the bank’s management insisted on collecting the missing money from him, he would pay when he had it.

“On Tuesday of the week he died, we heard that telling him to keep paying in order to keep his job was just a plot to implicate him. It meant he had agreed that he indeed stole it. I rebuked him for trusting people too much. He believed his bosses wanted to help him,” she said.

A controller at the bank was said to have called him on the fateful Tuesday and ordered him to come to the office. Babatunde reportedly boarded a public transport since he could not drive his car due to an injury he sustained during the weekend.

“In the evening I called him, he said they were taking him to Falomo station. They took him to the police station that Tuesday. Later they collected his phone. And that was all.”

Babatunde was rushed to the hospital on Thursday afternoon while his parents waited at the entrance to the police station, about to perfect his bail.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said Babtunde died after taking a bottle of Pepsi.

When our correspondent called a member of the Brand and Communication Unit of Ecobank, Austin Osokpor, he said the bank had decided to postpone its official statement (earlier slated for Monday) till the release of the autopsy result of what killed the deceased.

“The bank does not want to continue to make different statements that could inflame the matter. We will make our statement after the release of the autopsy report,” he said.

-Punch

POLICEMAN ATTACKS WIFE WITH CUTLASS OVER MISSING N70K

A policeman, Michael Okoli, has been arrested by the police at Okokomaiko Division for attacking his wife, Felicia, with a cutlass.

The incident happened at their home at 4, Abukareem Close, Afromedia Estate, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
His wife is in a critical condition at Gbagada General Hospital after she was rejected by many hospitals.

The Delta State-born Okoli confessed that he was angry after he did not find the N70,000 he kept aside for house rent and when he asked his wife about the missing money, she was rude to him.
And in anger he took a sharp cutlass and started attacking Felicia with it.
After the attack, she was taken to several hospitals before she was eventually admitted at Gbagada General Hospital where she is being treated.

Okoli, who is an elder in Celestial Church of Christ at Afromedia and a spy policeman, said he did not know what came over him while carrying out the attack.
P.M.NEWS gathered that it was not the first time Okoli was attacking Felicia with cutlass. He admitted he cut off one of Felicia’s fingers during a quarrel before this incident happened again.
Narrating what happened, Okoli said he kept the N70,000 at home before he went to work and when he returned and checked where he kept the money, it was no longer there.

He said when he asked Felicia about the money, she was rude and started abusing him, asking him whether he was sure he kept any money at home at all.
Felicia reportedly reminded him that he said he had no money and left her to fend for the family.
The response provoked Okoli who attacked her with cutlass.
The couple got married 18 years ago and blessed with four children, two boys and two girls, the eldest being 17.

When P.M.NEWS visited Okoko Police Station, Okoli was was detained in a cell but the DPO, CSP Richard Temple, who confirmed the incident, declined to makefurther comment and referred our reporter to the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer.
A source at the station said Okoli will be charged with attempted murder after the matter had been transferred to SCID, Panti, Yaba for further investigation.
-PMNews

LAGOS BANKER DIES IN POLICE CUSTODY

An employee of Ecobank, Babatunde Oke, on Thursday, died in the custody of the Falomo Police Divisional Headquarters in Lagos, after he was detained for three days over his alleged involvement in a N1.2m fraud.
Oke, who is survived by a wife and two children, was said to have worked at the Ogba, Lagos branch of the bank.

Though the real cause of his death is yet to be ascertained, witnesses said he slumped at the police station after taking a soft drink.
According to a media consultant, David Ekpo, who wrote about Oke’s death on social media, the deceased had paid part of the missing money before he was arrested by the police.
The lawyer to the deceased, Femi Olatunde, also said the Ikoyi police station had demanded the he paid the sum of N1m before he would be released on bail.

Olatunde said, “I was at the police stattion before they brought him there at about 7:30pm on Tuesday, the police refused to grant him bail. They said we must bring N1m. This was a case of fraud involving about N1.2m. The following day, his father came from Abeokuta and they told him the same thing. I negotiated with them and they brought their demand down to N600,000. The father told me that he was going to bring N100,000 and I was to make arrangements to get N100,000. I spoke with him on the phone around 12:45pm on Thursday and 30 minutes later, was told he was dead.
“They said he drank a bottle of soft drink before he started convulsing and then slumped. When I saw his body, red substance was coming out of his mouth. The autopsy will come out on Tuesday, so we cannot conclude for now.”

The deceased’s immediate younger brother, Seun Oke, corroborated the lawyer’s account and added that he was at the police station when his brother died.
He faulted the bank for freezing the deceased’s children’s account, making it difficult for his wife to withdraw money for their upkeep.
He said, “Tunde’s wife also works with Ecobank. When I got to the police station on Thursday, I saw him and we spoke. I was telling him it was wrong for the bank to freeze the kids’ account. It’s actually against the law. I know because I’m also a banker. They did not allow the wife who is a signatory to the account to withdraw from it. He called his wife’s phone to tell her to call the man that was supposed to give the lawyer money, but she didn’t pick her phone.. So, he called the man himself. Later, they asked him to enter another room where other suspects were kept. Then, my mum said we should go to the ATM to get more money.”

Oke added that he and his mother waited outside the police station for the lawyer to come with the money, when he saw a van taking his brother to the hospital.
He said, “I spotted my brother’s shirt and saw that he was lying down in the van, unconscious. I ran and flagged them down. They allowed me enter, when they knew I was his brother. He was lying almost lifeless. I saw him making little movements on our way to the hospital. He was foaming; some substance and blood were coming out of his mouth. When we got to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.
“When I went back to the hospital, they told me that when he entered that room, he saw somebody drinking a soft drink and he asked a lady in the stattion to buy one for him too.Then he uncorked the bottle, put the cork in his pocket and drank from the bottle. He then started convulsing and slumped. I suspect foul play.”
Wife of the deceased, Ebun Oke, told our correspondent on the telephone that the police cannot claim ignorance.

She said, “I spoke with my husband on Tuesday, he was healthy and strong. His family members were with him on that Thursday when he was supposed to be given bail because we had already arranged how we will pay the rest of the money, only for them to tell us he was dead. I don’t know what they did to my husband.”
Mother of the deceased said she was with Babatunde on the day of the incident and did not suspect anything until he was brought out from the station on a stretcher.
A close friend of the deceased, Olukunke Falade, described him as easy-going.
He said, “Tunde and I grew up together in the same area in Onipanu, Lagos. Our families were close. His mum and my mum were friends and his dad and my dad were friends too. We both attended Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. Though he got to Ife before me because he was older than me.
“I saw him last about three years ago at a wedding. I knew Tunde as a smart guy. His education was fast. He had double promotions in primary school. He was easy going and never troublesome. He was a good Muslim.”

A member of the Brand and Communication Unit of the bank, Austin Osokpor, told SUNDAY PUNCH, that the deceased had admitted to committing the fraud and the bank reported to the police as was required by law.
He said, “There was an ATM fraud, it was traced and it was found out that it was him. He admitted it. The police was informed as is normally done and he was taken to the police station. The family said they didn’t want him to be prosecuted. Instead of going to court, they wanted to refund the money.
“The parents brought money that Thursday, but they said they would wait for the lawyer to come before handing it to the police. They were still waiting when he said he wanted a drink. After he drank it, he slumped and when the policemen could not resuscitate him, he was taken to Falomo Police Hospital where he died.”

Osokpor said the bank immediately ordered for an autopsy.
When contacted on Saturday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, refuted claims that Oke was tortured to death. Braide said the deceased drank a soft drink before he slumped.
Source: Punch