Troop frees women, elderly, children locked up by fleeing terrorists

Following the recapture of Gwoza from Boko Haram terrorists, Nigerian troops in cordon and search operations have rescues scores of elderly persons and women locked up while another bomb making factory has been discovered.

A statement to this effect from defence headquarters reads, “A number of women, the elderly and children who were locked up by fleeing terrorists in Gwoza have been freed by troops as cordon and search along with mopping up operations continue in the town.

“The freed hostages some of whom are so weak are being given medical attention while others are also receiving necessary care pending the arrival and activities of aid agencies.
“Some of them are also providing useful information for the intelligence in aid of troops operations in the area.

“In another development, buildings which have been converted to a bomb making factory have been unearthed by troops in the course of ongoing mopping up operations in Gwoza.
“The facility which is being used for the manufacture of various calibres of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) is still being carefully evacuated of dangerous materials.
“Massive destruction of infrastructure and property including blowing up bridges and burnt houses including Emir’s Palace have also been noticeable.

“Troops are also carefully removing land mines placed in various parts of the town.
“In Bama also in Borno State, troops on routine patrol in the suburbs of the town this morning recovered a large number of rifles and various arms believed to have been abandoned by terrorists who fled the area when troops were advancing to flush them of the town recently.

“Bama was liberated by troops on 16 March 2015 and troops have since been dominating the town with aggressive patrols to defend it against any further terrorists activities.”
Source:Vanguard

Gunmen invade community, kill cult member

Some gunmen, said to be cult members, have created panic in Shitta, Surulere, Lagos State, after unleashing terror on the residents.

The assailants, numbering five, reportedly stormed the neighbourhood in two jeeps and started shooting sporadically.

One Ete Williams was said to have been killed in the incident, while two others, identified as Danglish and Sir Feti, were injured by stray bullets.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the deceased was a member of Eiye confraternity, while his killers belonged to Aiye – a rival cult group.

It was gathered that the attack affected trading activities in the area, as some traders lost their wares while scampering for safety.

A resident, Azeez Aregbesola, said Williams was killed at a drinking joint called Medube where hoodlums and smokers reportedly converged on. He added that the police had been constantly raiding the joint.

Aregbesola said, “They (the gang) stormed here around 8pm on Thursday. We all ran helter-skelter. All of them wore black dress. They started shooting at the roundabout and headed for Medube, where Ete (Williams) was shot in the head. The police later came after the gang had left.”

A trader, Mrs. Mariam Salako, said Danglish and Sir Feti were rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

She said, “Stray bullets hit people in the legs. It was later in the evening that I went back to pack my peppers.”

Another resident, Niyi Ismail, said if not for the police that curtailed criminal acts in the community, they would still be living in fear. He, however, cautioned them against frustrating innocent people.

He said, “It was Taju, Area C Commander, who assisted us to clear Medube. It used to be a dreadful place before. But the police have recently started harassing people. Once it is 8pm, they will start arresting anybody on the street, whereas some people will be returning from their places of work. They collect at least N5,000 before they release those they arrest. A friend of mine spent two days in the police station because he could not pay. They do the same at Ojuelegba.”

Uzor Chinedu, a pop corn seller on Adebola Street, Surulere, said the police destroyed his glass in one of their raids.

Taofeeq Kolapo, who resides on Makinde Street, Ojuelegba, said Taju and his team would raid the area at 7pm and smash traders’ wares.

He said, “By 8pm, everybody will be running helter-skelter, shouting ‘Taju n’bo (Taju is coming)’. They are used to the bail fee they collect and at times, they raid as early as 7pm.”

A landlord on Cregg Street, Mr. Samuel Ibikunle, urged the police to exercise caution while on patrol.

The Lagos State Police spokesperson, DSP Kenneth Nwosu confirmed the attack.

“He, however, dismissed the claims that police were harassing traders and residents of the community.

He said, “Some masked men believed to be cultists went to the area and shot sporadically.

“One Ete Williams was killed, while six shells were recovered by the police from the scene of the incident.

“The Lagos State Command has zero tolerance for cultism.

“We raid on intelligence reports.

“Whoever is arrested must have been unable to identify himself. If we arrest unjustly, we release the person free of charge.

“Police can raid at anytime because crimes are committed day and night and we have to respond. That police destroy or seize goods is not true.”

Source: Punch

EPE MONARCH’S SON, FIVE OTHERS DROWN AFTER VOTING

Kunle Adewale, a son of the Olu of Epe, and five others drowned on Saturday in a river after their boast capsized.

It was learnt that Kunle, who is a Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, is the first son of the Olu of Epe, Oba Shefiu Adewale, who ascended the throne two years ago.

Our correspondent learnt that Kunle and a local government chairman aspirant, Mr. Muiz Bello, as well as four others had gone to cast their votes for the All Progressives Congress when their boat suddenly capsized on their way back.

A close source said, “It is indeed a very sad day. We were all together in Epe early in the morning and we ate together. After some time, they said they registered at a polling unit across the river.

“About five hours later, we heard that he had died. We still don’t know how it all happened.”
Confirming the incident, the state Chairman of the APC, Chief Henry Ajomale, said it was unfortunate.

Ajomale prayed for the repose of their souls, adding that they died as honourable men.
The APC boss said, “It is very unfortunate and we pray that the Almighty God grants them eternal rest and gives their families the strength to bear the loss. They died as honourable men, who fought for the progress of this country.”

Ajomale lamented the voting process, adding that as of 8pm in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area, voting was still ongoing.

He said, “INEC should have been more prepared because in many places, voting is still ongoing at this time (8pm) while in some places, there were no INEC officials.”

Ajomale, however, maintained that he was confident that he would be able to deliver his ward to the APC even though it is an Igbo dominated area.
Source: Punch

Baby with two horns born in Osun

The atmosphere in the maternity centre was serene. There was nothing suggesting the occurrence which took the reporter there. Nurses on duty were courteous but grew cautious and suspicious when it was obvious the reporter was not a patient. Why is he here?

The birth of a new born baby would normally elicit joy and excitement in people. It is more so when the mother has been longing for it without results for years.   But, the reverse was the case in a maternity centre (name withheld) situated at Ifosan area of Ilesa, in Osun State where a woman recently gave birth to a baby with two horns on its head.

A tip had given Saturday Tribune photos of the strange baby, the arrival of which caused fear and trepidation among the nurses and the proprietress of the maternity centre. The tip also described the hospital and the geography of its area of operation.

The description was vivid and accurate enough for  Saturday Tribune to locate the health centre without much difficulty. Here is the maternity centre where the baby with two horns was born. Then, there was a thick wall of silence. Nurses on duty would neither deny nor confirm the development. The reporter was tossed up and down and finally landed before the proprietress of the centre. She would not talk unless her identity and that of her hospital were protected. The reporter gave his words.

“It is true the baby was born,” she said, but added that the horror of the event compelled her to instruct her staff to keep sealed lips over the development, with a view to warding off public attention to the centre over the scary baby.

Speaking with Saturday Tribune during the visit on Thursday, the proprietress, (she is called matron by her staff) said  the woman who gave birth to this deformed baby was “about 25 years old and she has been without a child for three years.”

She explained that “this woman lives in one of the farm settlements on the outskirt of Ilesa. She registered for antenatal service here. So, when she wanted to put to bed, her relatives rushed her here to deliver the baby.

“But we were shocked to the marrow when she eventually delivered the baby with two horns on the head after going into labour for some hours. By the time she was delivered of the baby, it was already dead and we had to separate it from the placenta.

“I have never seen such a terrible creature in my life. So, we helped to pack the dead baby and the placenta and handed them over to them before they left our premises. It was indeed a fearful development and we were saddened about it.

“This is not something we can celebrate. So, I ordered by nurses and other attendants to keep their mouth shut over the incident. But, I am very surprised how you people got to know about it and came here to inquire about it. I do not want anyone to make something unnecessary out of this or create problems for us here,” she stated.

She would not disclose the whereabouts of the woman who delivered the baby.  “I cannot give you any details about her. Like I told you, she lives in one of the farm settlements on the outskirts of Ilesa and I don’t really know the area and I want you to leave me out of this matter,” she added.

The woman who froze when she was shown the photographs of the baby, however, confirmed its genuineness but asked how Saturday Tribune got them. A staff  member of the clinic also showed Saturday Tribune her own photos of the baby taken with her phone.
All efforts to locate the exact location of the baby’s mother and her identity were not successful.
Source:Tribune

Labourer kills civil servant three days to retirement

The Emereonye family has been thrown into mourning over the gruesome murder of one of its sons, Mr. Emmanuel Emereonye, a federal civil servant.

It was gathered that Emmanuel was killed three days to his retirement from the service.

Emmanuel, an administrative officer at the Federal Government Girls College, Umuahia, was on Tuesday, March 17, 2015, butchered by a labourer he hired to work for him in his hometown at Dioka Nzerem village, in the Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.

It was gathered that Emmanuel had decided to build a befitting country house where he hoped to relocate to after his retirement.

He was said to have contracted some labourers to lay the foundation of the building. The labourers included one of his godson, Samuel Edomobi.

After the day’s job on the fateful day, for which he had given the labourers their daily wages, it was learnt that Emmanuel was informed later in the day that Edomobi had gone to his (Emmanuel) farm to harvest palm fruits. He rushed to his farm and found Edomobi on a palm tree, harvesting palm fruits.

Emmanuel was said to have ordered Edomobi to get down from the tree, telling him that harvesting fruits from his farm was not part of the job he paid him for. An argument ensued and in the process, Edomobi allegedly used the machete he was using to harvest the palm fruits on Emmanuel.

Emmanuel was said to have taken to his heels, while Edomobi followed in hot pursuit. He was said to have caught up with him (Emmanuel) and hit him in the neck with the machete.

Edomobi was said to have left Emmanuel in a pool of blood. The neighbour that alerted Emmanuel to the fact that Edomobi was harvesting from his farm escaped from the scene and raised the alarm.

By the time the villagers reportedly arrived at the scene, Emmanuel had bled to death, while Edomobi had escaped from the scene.

It was gathered that policemen arrested Edomobi’s mother, which forced the suspect to turn himself in.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect had been transferred to the state Criminal Investigations Department, Owerri, while the body of the deceased had been deposited in a morgue.

Emmanuel’s first child, Chidimma, told our correspondent on Thursday, during a visit the Emereonyes, that the family had planned to celebrate its father’s birthday ,which was to be a day after his retirement, before the incident.

Chidimma, who is a second year political science student of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, said, “My father was killed three days to his retirement and four days to his birthday. He was supposed to be 60 by Saturday, March 21, 2015. We had made plans to celebrate his birthday and retirement, but all that was not to be.”

The brother-in-law to the deceased, Izuchukwu Ohiaeriaku, said the family suspected conspiracy in Emmanuel’s death.

According to him, there had been issues on the land where Emmanuel was building his country home, which was resolved only recently. He said the house would have been completed, but for the dispute.

“Maybe Edomobi was used to perfect a plot orchestrated somewhere. The family suspects that what killed Emmanuel may not be far from the land issue,” he said.

Widow of the deceased, Ngozi Emereonye, said, “I am a housewife with six children. Where do I start from? His death is a big blow to the family and I cannot recover from it for the rest of my life.”

Meanwhile, a family source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, lamented that policemen from the state CID had been extorting the family under the guise of investigation.

“The police asked us to pay N120,000 for autopsy. That was after collecting N10,000 for “police photographs”, which is just to take pictures of the deceased in the mortuary,” he said.

The Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Andrew Enwerem, confirmed the incident, saying the suspect would be taken to court once investigation was completed.

On the alleged extortion, Enwerem said, “The police does not pay for autopsy. Where do you expect the police to get that kind of money from?

“If the family can get any medical doctor that will charge them less than that amount, they should bring the person and the police will work with him. The crime is not bailable, so the suspect will remain in custody until investigation is completed.”

Source:Punch

Chibok girls are in Gwoza, freed captive says

More than 200 girls who were abducted by Boko Haram from government secondary school, Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 are in Gwoza, The Cable, an online medium, on Wednesday quoted Mbutu Papka, a woman who was recently freed after eight months in the sect’s captivity, to have said.

Papka, who made the revelation to the international centre for investigative reporting, said she was transferred from a poor condition in Mdita to a fairly tolerable facility in Gwoza where the abducted girls were being held.

She said, “In the camp at Gwoza, there were clear demarcations between where people were kept. The Chibok girls, other captives and Boko Haram members and their family members all had their separate areas secured, though the security in the area where the girls are kept is visibly different and much tighter.
“When we got to Gwoza, things changed because there were facilities there and the place was 10 times better than Mdita.

“We had a normal life in Gwoza, except the trauma of living in captivity. Whatever we wanted to eat, they were provided. They would bring water, firewood, etc., and leave them outside. They even provided perfume for anyone who requested for it.”
The 56-year-old woman added that no one was allowed anywhere near the specific location of the abducted girls, which was being guarded round the clock.

Papka was reportedly seized alongside many others when Boko Haram attacked Gwoza on July 4, 2014 and taken to Mdita, a remote village near the notorious Sambisa Forest, bordering Askira Uba and Damboa. She and many others, including children were kept in Mdita for five months before they were taken to Gwoza, where she was held for another three months before being released on March 15.
The woman said the facilities provided for them in Mdita were so poor that some captives died of ill health.

“There was a Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor who was killed during the attack on our village, and his wife was abducted with us. She died at Mdita due to the condition of the place and the death of her husband,” she said.
The pastor’s wife was said to have had diabetes and had been on a special diet, which could not be provided by the insurgents.

Though she said she could not speak for the abducted girls, Papka said she and the other women abducted were neither raped nor assaulted, saying the insurgents lived with their wives and children in the Gwoza camp.

When she was to be released by the sect on March 15, Papka was given a sick two-year-old boy who had been crying uncontrollably. She was driven home on a motorcycle and asked to pay N8, 000, which her family did.
Source: Punch

MY FRIEND INVITED ME TO ROB HIS COMPANY OF WORKERS’ SALARY –SUSPECT

A robbery suspect, Chimezie Stephen Osuagwu, currently being quizzed by men of the Special Anti Squad (SARS) Lagos State Police Command, has confessed to the failed robbery attack on a firm, but said he was lured by his friend, Austin Chukwuemeka, who worked in the firm to carry out the attack and snatch workers salary.

Chimezie was arrested in February by policemen from Ajah Police Division and transferred to SARS.
A locally made den gun used for the operation was recovered and transferred along with the suspect to SARS.

The suspect and his friend, Austin, tried to rob the company known as Four Brothers Company in Ajah on February 28, 2015.

Austin, an insider brought the information that the accountant to the company had gone and withdrew some money for workers’ salary and invited Chiemezie for the robbery.
The suspects were said to have accosted the accountant with Chiemezie wielding a gun while Austin led him into the office of the accountant.

Chiemezie, it was gathered, pointed the gun at the accountant and asked him to surrender the money but the accountant summoned courage and shouted for help.
This attracted other staff and out of fear, Chiemzie dropped the gun that had only one cartridge.
He attempted to run, but he was apprehended by the workers and handed over to the police.
When Austin realized that the plot had failed, he took to his heels and escaped. Police is still hunting for him. When his house was searched as he also ran away from his house, two knives believed to be used for robbery were recovered.

In his confession, Chiemzie, 34, from Azawa Obiato, Iseke in Mba Itolu, Imo State said, “I live in Shapati area of Ajah, Lagos. I worked as a waiter at Royal Bliss Hotel and earn N18, 000 per month. I was arrested for armed robbery. My friend, Chukwuemeka Austin, who wanted to resign from where he was working and go back to his village in Enugu State, invited me to rob the company of the workers’ monthly salary. I borrowed the gun from a hunter in Contonou. My friend told me that the money was between N2 and N3 million. I agreed because he said we will share the money 50-50. The knives were recovered from his house. We had only one cartridge inside the gun. This is my first time of going for robbery”.

Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu confirmed the arrest.
Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed while effort is on to arrest the fleeing accomplice.
Source: Daily Independent