Why I killed Igbinedion's mother — Suspect

Dominion Okoro, the suspect.

THE suspected killer of Mrs Maria Igbinedion, mother of former governor of Edo State,  Dominion Okoro, has opened up on why she killed the old woman.

The suspect, who was arrested by the Police operatives in Calabar, Cross River State, about a week ago, allegedly killed Mrs Igbinedion on December 1, 2021 and absconded with some of her valuables including jewelry.

The 25-year-old suspect was paraded alongside 427 others arrested for various crimes in the state.

Speaking with journalists, Dominion said she had been a maid with the deceased for one year and three months and that she took good care of her.

She said: “We used to massage her body, so on December 1, at about 11pm that day after massaging her body, I made the bed for her to sleep.

“After that I decided to steal her money from the drawer but she saw me and shouted, so I hit her head with a stool and she died. When I counted the money it was N100,000 and jewelry and I ran to Calabar where I was arrested.

“One Glory, who used to work with the woman, asked me to do that. Madam used to send her to deposit money in the bank and also withdrew for her. She told me to kill the woman so that she (glory) will give me part of her money to take care of my baby, who is sick."

The suspect, who initially refused to talk to journalists, said the police had threatened to kill her if she mentioned her accomplice.

“The man said they will kill me if I mentioned anybody that I am telling lies. The man is a police officer and he is here,” she said.

One of her sisters, Patient Okoro, who was also arrested, said she didn’t know anything about the killing and that her sister only informed her on phone that she had committed murder.

She said she assisted the police in arresting her in Cross River, adding that all those they arrested while searching for her had been released but the police refused to release her.

“My sister is not talking because the police has threatened to kill her if she mentioned her accomplices to journalists," she said.

The 25-year-old suspect was paraded alongside 427 others arrested for various crimes in the state by the state Commissioner of Police, Phillip Ogbadu.

Ogbadu said the suspects were arrested in the fourth quarter of 2021, noting that 32 guns, 420 lives ammunition and 18 vehicles were recovered during the period.

Ogbadu said the suspects would be charged to court, assuring that justice would be done on Mrs. Igbinedion’s killers.

Court remands man for allegedly defiling 9-year-old girl

A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kaduna, yesterday, ordered that a mason, Ahmed Usman, who allegedly defiled a nine-year-old girl be remanded in a correctional centre pending legal advice.

Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel, who did not take the plea of Usman, ordered the police to duplicate the case file and send the same to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

Emmanuel, who frowned at the high rate of rape of minors, adjourned the case until January 12, for a hearing.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Inspector Chidi Leo told the court that Usman, who resides in Kawo, Kaduna State, committed the offense on December 2 at his residence.

The prosecutor said Usman lured the girl into his room and defiled her.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of Section 207 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

Police Inspector Chidi Leo who was the prosecuting officer, narrated that Usman allegedly defiled the nine-year-old in his house.

Usman deceived her to enter his room in a house at Kawo in Kaduna where he penetrated her, the prosecution officer has said.

The case which contravened the provisions of Section 207 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, was adjourned to January 12 ,2022 for hearing.

EFCC arrests man with 576 ATM cards in Kano Airport

Barely hours after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, secured the conviction of three smugglers arrested with 1,144 ATM cards at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, the Kano Command of the commission again arrested another suspect at the same airport with 576 ATM cards.

The commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect, Khalil Lawal, was intercepted December 20, 2021, by operatives of the commission in collaboration with Nigeria Aviation Security and Nigeria Customs Service under the aegis of Special Task Force on Money Laundering.

Uwujaren said Khalil was arrested while travelling to Uganda with an Ethiopian Airline and in possession of concealed 576 ATM cards bearing different names and banks in his luggage.

He stated that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation into the matter was concluded.

It will be recalled that the commission had arrested three suspects at the Kano Airport between November 24 and December 1, 2021 while trying to smuggle a total of 1,144 ATM cards.

However, a Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Jamilu Shehu on December 20, 2021, convicted and sentenced them to six months imprisonment each.

Culled from Vanguard