Generator fumes killed Joy Odama – Police

ABUJA— The controversies over how a 200 level student of Mass Communication Department in Cross River State University of Science and Technology, CRUTEC, Joy Odama, allegedly died in the house of one Alhaji Usman Adamu in Abuja, continued yesterday as the Police Force Headquarters released another autopsy report.

The first autopsy report from the National Hospital, Abuja, made available to her family revealed that Joy Odama died of acute cocaine poisoning. However, the Police, yesterday, said contrary to that report, Joy died of generator fumes in Alhaji Adamu’s house.

Meanwhile, the Police, at a briefing by Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, failed to parade Adamu, the prime suspect, unlike other times when suspects were always paraded before newsmen to see and possibly ask probing questions.

Family kicks

Reacting to the latest Police report that Odama died of generator fumes, the family flayed the Police authorities, saying the latter was being economical with the truth, insisting that their daughter died of cocaine infusion as shown in the first autopsy report.

The family of the deceased wondered why the police was shielding the suspect. President, Basic Rights Enlightenment Foundation, BREF, Augustine Okechukwu, reacting on behalf of the family, said: “We are not aware if the suspect is in police custody.

“We doubt the claim by the Police that Alhaji Adamu is in its custody. Why can’t the police for once parade him for people to see?” On the autopsy result, he said: “I was there when the police conducted the second autopsy, but they refused to give us the final results when it came out.”

It’ll go to court—Police

However, in reaction to the allegations, Force Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent Jimoh Moshood, said: “We don’t have any contradictions with regard to what we have said. The issue of murder is a capital offence, which cannot be compromised at any level; it has to go to court.

“Anybody has the right to go to court to table any grievances that they might have observed or felt had happened in the course of the investigation into the matter. “I want to assure you that what the police have done is a very thorough job that can stand the test of trial in court against the accused person.

As I speak, the accused person is still in Police custody and that is very important to everyone to ensure that justice is done.”

New report not exonerating suspect—FPPRO

Moshood noted that the first autopsy report was not rejected by the police, but that it was inconclusive, noting that it was why the Inspector General of Police had to order for another autopsy to be done. He added that the report does not exonerate the suspect in question and the general public should dissociate themselves from the conflicting reports.

His words: “I want to say that we did not reject the first autopsy report. The first autopsy report was not conclusive. “In fact, Dr. Paul Jubril (doctor that conducted first autopsy) equally witnessed the second autopsy report examination.

“Dr. Jubril was the person that did the first one that I showed you and he was present when the second one was conducted by Dr. Wilson Ayewu and we equally had Augustine Okechukwu of Basic Rights Enlightenment Foundation at the second round of the autopsy and it was done at the National Hospital, Abuja. 

“The report of the second autopsy is not exonerating the suspect and that is what is important. The prosecution will still go ahead. We should disabuse our mind of any conflicting view as to whether Police is out to exonerate the principal suspect in this regard.”


Vanguard Report.

Evans sues IGP, CP over fundamental human rights

Suspected billionaire kiidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, aka Evans, has started a court battle to regain freedom, as he has filed a suit against the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, over his continued detention.

Evans, who seeks to compel the IGP to either charge him to court or release him from custody, also joined the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Fatai Owoseni; the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos Command and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in the fundamental rights enforcement suit.

In a motion ex-parte filed before the Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday by his lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, Evans claimed that he has been detained by the police since June 10, 2017, and subjected to media trial and parade without any court order.

The suspected kidnapper said there has been grave constitutional infraction perpetrated by the respondents against him, as he ought to have been charged or arraigned before a court, in accordance with sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He also posited that he has the right, under Section 46 of the 1999 Constitution, to approach the court for redress for the breach of his fundamental rights.

However, in a 27-paragraph affidavit, Mr. Stephen Onwuamadike, Evans’ father, claimed that his family has been denied access to their son, who has since been in police detention.

Onwuamadike further alleged that the media trial of Evans and parade by the police have continued to generate reactions without giving him the opportunity of a fair trial in a law court.
No judge has been assigned the case and no date has been fixed for hearing.

However, in a reaction to the suit, a senior police officer said the police have a court warrant to detain Evans and his gang members for three month to enable the police conclude investigations in Nigeria, Ghana and Southg Africa.

Evans was arrested on June 10, 2017 at one of his mansions in Magodo, Lagos. before his arrewst, he was on the wanted list of the police for over a period of time, for alleged kidnappings.

One of his alleged victims, Mr Donatus Dunu, miraculously escaped from one of his enclaves at Igandu, Lagos and took the police to the hideouts. The police stormed the scene where they recovered arms and ammunition.

The Inspector-General of Police, who was not happy with the Lagos State Police Command for not arresting Evans, had earlier ordered his Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to take over the investigation. A few weeks after the IRT, led by ACP Abba Kyari, took over the case, Evans was arrested. His arrest has generated a media hype .

A senior police officer had claimed that he investigated Evans for an armed robbery attack in 2006. He also claimed that a policewoman serving at the Police College, by name Tina, begged that the case be dropped.

The police officer further alleged that when his team refused to drop the case, the poliicewoman travelled to Imo State and shortly after her returned back to Lagos, the Imo State police command requested that the case be transferred to it.

According to him, the request by the Imo police was the last he heared of Evans until his arrest and subsequent publicity.
Following the police officer’s allegation, the IGP ordered investigation into the allegation.

Daily Sun Report

Evans: My life is in danger- —Victim that escaped from den

THE owner of Maydon Pharmaceutical Company, Ilupeju, Lagos, Chief Donatus Dunu, who escaped mysteriously from the den of Evans’ kidnapping gang at Igando, a suburb of Lagos, before the gang was rounded up by the police, yesterday, lamented that the recent release of his workers suspected to have taken part in his abduction has placed his life in danger.

Chief Dunu who was troubled by the development told newsmen that it was improper for either the police or the court to grant bail to suspects involved in such a high profile case where startling revelations of the leader of the dangerous kidnapping gang has continued to shock the world.

He said: “Nobody should have allowed those suspected workers in my company to be granted bail because I have evidence of the active participation of my pharmacist, name withheld, in the deadly operation. Releasing him has worsened my plight as I and members of my family now live in perpetual fear of our lives.

“Why should the police release him, the chief accomplice in my kidnap? I not only heard his voice while in captivity, having been with him since 2003, but saw him there few days after the kidnap. He came to ask them where I was kept.

When they showed him, he opened the door where they kept me in chains and our eyes met. Though I was blindfolded, I was about eating when I heard his voice and I normally remove the blind. That was how I saw him and had the greatest shock of my life.

Abakaliki dialect

“He was always there with my abductors. His voice is unmistakable having interacted with him for many years. The man in charge of the den, Uche, whom he claims he does not know, speaks the same dialect with him. He is the man one of the suspected pharmacists used to meet each time he visited.

There was another member of the gang who speaks Abakaliki dialect and I don’t know whether those in police net have confessed his whereabout to the police. “I have a strong feeling that the manager of the den, Uche and the man I am accusing are from the same town because they speak the same dialect.

Those guarding me were initially two but when the Abakaliki man travelled on Easter Monday, they brought another person to replace him. That one was very sick because he was coughing constantly. I knew that the Abakaliki man travelled because I heard the man I am suspecting of discussing with Uche, on whether he had travelled and Uche said, yes.

“That same Easter Monday, I overheard him and Uche saying; “We will kill him. We have no alternative until Chairman comes back. Two weeks after this, Chairman came back and I knew whenever he visited because they would shut all the doors and switch on the generator perhaps, to stifle their discussions.

His visit did not last for more than ten minutes and that was the first and only time he came to the den while I was there. That night, the Abakaliki man brought Indomine for my dinner. He told me to eat so that I will have enough energy to face ‘us at the canal.’

They later told me that canal was where they use to ‘bath’ their captives and I concluded that it meant where they killed their victims. They trumpeted this daily. “I was made to understand that the Abakaliki man was the one that would kill me if the chairman gave the order.

That was when I realised that the killing they were discussing with suspected pharmacist was about to take place. Earlier, I thought that the killing they were discussing must be probably another person. But after the discussion on the canal, I knew that I was their target.

After that, I overheard him again, about two weeks later, discussing with Uche that, “If they want to kill him, they should kill him. In fact, kill him.”Their last discussion was on a Wednesday before my escape on Friday. I heard him again asking whether they have killed me.

They said no, it was going to be Friday night. That was when I concluded that it was all over. “I have never had issues with him. The only thing was that I suspected that he and some of my boys were stealing goods from my warehouse and I made changes which I suspect did not favour him.

I strongly suspect that this must have been his motive to connive with those kidnappers. In fact, before my abduction, we had a meeting with a foreign partner and I remember vividly that during one of my telephone conversations with their Chairman whom I suspect is Evans, he asked me who the two ladies in my office were, the same day I was kidnapped.

Unanswered questions

“One of the suspects came to the office that day and those ladies were with me. Why did the chairman ask that question, who told him that I was with two ladies in my office? These are the unanswered questions and police should have asked these questions. “Secondly, my abductors told me that they have a group picture of my staff which we took last January.

We used to meet every January and all the sales representatives including the pharmacist attended. They also claimed they went to take inventory of the goods in my warehouse; yes, they did but we are still auditing to know whether goods were missing or not.

Even an account opening document was found on one of the pharmacists’ official car before he was taken to anti-kidnapping unit after his arrest. He was the only visitor that came to the den while I was there.

He is not an ordinary friend to those that guarded me. “I feel so bad that the police allowed the court to set him free thereby endangering my life. I don’t think the police carried out thorough investigation after the so-called identification parade which was simply a charade.

Even if the court had course to grant him bail, the police know how to go about such cases by re-arresting him until they carried out diligent investigation. I am, therefore, calling on police authorities to do the needful by re-arresting him and investigating him thoroughly,” he stated.



Vanguard Report

Police arrest suspected ritualists in Ondo

Men of the Ondo State Police Command on Monday arrested five suspected ritualists in an uncompleted building beside the Gani Fawehinmi Arcade Ground at Igbatoro road, Akure, Ondo State capital.

The suspected ritualists said to have been using the abandoned building owned by a retired judge in the state, as their hideout were arrested following a tip off.

According to an eye witness, five of the suspects were apprehended by the member of the public after a guard within the area fired shots into the air to kill a bird and scared the suspects out of their den.
He explained that the suspects numbering about seven ran out of the building and taught the gunshots were from security operatives on their trail.

However, the criminals ran into the hands of some motorcyclists who suspected their movement and gave them a hot chase, after which five out of the seven men were apprehended, while two others escaped.

Some women underwears, shoes, cooking utensils, sleeping mattress, toothpastes and toothbrushes, among other items were discovered inside the building, while ropes suspected to be hanging ropes were seen tied to the ceiling of the building.

The source stated that there were speculations that the building is being used as a kidnappers’ den, saying the objects found inside the house did not implicate the suspects as ritualists.

It however, took the timely intervention of the men of the state police command, to save the suspects from mob action as youths and residents of the area gathered to lynch and burn the suspects.

According to a resident, the building the suspected ritualists are using as their hideout is being owned by a retired judge but said the building had been sold to a business man who had started reconstructing the building into an hotel.

He said the business man later stopped work on the building in the last few years and all manner of persons with questionable characters converted it into their abode.

He however, said the men have been handed over to men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) along Oda Road in Akure,

Confirming the arrest, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, said it has not been established if the arrested suspects are ritualists.

Joseph said that detectives are screening the suspects to know their culpability in the crime and promised that those found culpable would be charged to court.

Tribune Report.

LAGOS SCHOOL KIDNAP DAY 33: Hope of abducted students release dashed

Lagos—Parents of the six abducted Senior Secondary School students of Lagos state Model College, Igbonla, Epe, were weekend, elated when rumours that their children would be released by midnight Saturday, filtered in. Vanguard gathered that they waited patiently, without winking, from 11pm Saturday till 6am Sunday.

But they were crestfallen when nothing was heard either from the kidnappers, their children or the person that reportedly informed them of the students’ possible release. The parents were not given any particular place to pick their children but asked to wait for a call after the captives would have been dropped .

When one of the parents was contacted, he answered reluctantly, saying that the long stay of the students in the kidnappers den had wearied him. The devastated father said; “ We could not go to church today (yesterday)because we expected that they would have returned.

When it was 5am and nothing was heard, my wife became so apprehensive that her sister had to take her away. “I am particularly confused on what next to do. When will this wait end? When shall we see our children again? This has dragged for too long.

What is the crime of the innocent students.?” Another parent who also spoke with Vanguard , could not hide his consternation on the delay of students. She said: “I am totally disappointed with this whole matter. This is when government ought to do something.

Government keeps saying we should be patient, that they would ensure their release. But there is nothing on ground to show that government is doing anything. They are only doing this to us because of our status.

Had one of the children been that of a government official would they sit comfortable and watch with hands folded? I am pissed off to say the least. The police on the other hand seem to have forgotten us. Rather they are celebrating the arrest of one Evans. “Last week the Assistant Inspector General, AIG, zone 2, met with the state government and disclosed that new measures were being taken to ensure that our children were released soon.

One would have expected the students to have been released by now. ‘’That was why we were hopeful of their return when we were informed that they would be released Saturday midnight. But once again, our hope has been dashed. I am disappointed at the government and Police.’’ Continuing, she said; “We are afraid as it is, because we do not know what has befallen our children.

These were children who were never reported sick, neither were they involved in an accident. They were only sent like their contemporaries elsewhere to school , only for this calamity to befall them. This is the longest students have been kept in kidnappers den , apart from the Chibok students,” she stated.

However, the Police still insisted that efforts were on to ensure their rescue. Police sources said; “It is not as if we don’t know what we are doing. Cases like this have been unmasked before. We have always told the parents to calm down that their children will return safely. “Their reaction is expected but it is advised that they calm down and watch as events unfold.

You don’t expect us to go to the creeks and confront the kidnappers, no, that will be wrong because the children we are trying to save may end up loosing their lives either through bullets or may be forced to jump into the river to escape and who knows, they may not be able to swim. If this happens, we (Police) will still be at the receiving end of the blame.”

Vanguard Report