‘I usually dump human parts in waste bins for buyers to pick’

The suspect.

*Says his boss promised N30m to produce, deliver human parts to buyer in Lagos

A 35-year-old suspected ritualist, Timothy Odeniyi, caught with human parts in Ondo State, said he was promised N30 million if he could get the human parts and deliver them to a buyer in Lagos.

The suspect was arrested in Ondo town motor park, Sunday, by operatives of the Ondo State security outfit, Amotekun, while conveying the human parts to Lagos.

Speaking during his parade in Akure, the state commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, said the suspect killed the victim, removed the human parts and hurriedly buried the corpse, but the suspect disagreed saying he got the parts from a corpse he exhumed from a grave.

The suspect, a truck driver, who reportedly wrapped the human parts in a bag, said his former boss in Ibadan introduced him to the business of making money through rituals.

The suspect said: “I went to the burial ground to cut the legs and hands of one of the corpses buried there. Before I was caught, I had planned to take the human parts to the person that sent me in Lagos. He promised to pay me N30 million once I deliver the items.

“I only went to the burial ground in the Sabo area of Ondo town to cut the parts, I didn’t kill anybody. The person that sent me used to be my boss when I was driving a truck. I used to dump it in a waste bin and he will send those who will pick it.”

He killed, severed body parts, buried victims hurriedly —Ondo Amotekun commander

However, Adeleye, who dismissed the claim of the suspect, said the suspect killed someone before severing the parts and buried the victim in a shallow grave.

Adeleye said: “We want to intimate the public on the need to be very careful. Of late the trend is shifting gradually from daily kidnapping to ritual killings.

“The public should be generally careful now of the craze to make money by young men.

“We have a suspect in our custody, Timothy Odeniyi, who was caught and arrested with the legs and hands of a human being wrapped in paper.

“Upon interrogation, he took us to where he severed the body of the person killed and hurriedly buried the person in a shallow grave.

“He was arrested in Ondo town and committed the crime on January 30, 2022.

“We want to warn the public to be careful of who they go out with. We have a number of them that we are still investigating that will go out with their girlfriends solely for the purpose of killing them for ritual purposes. I think the public should be wary and careful about this."

Over 12 persons killed as gunmen attack repentant bandits in Katsina

A reprisal attack on repentant bandits in Illela village, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State by a group of bandits had reportedly claimed 12 lives.

It was gathered that the victims of the Friday attack were buried Sunday.

According to fleeing residents, the gunmen came on a mission to attack a repentant bandit popularly known as Mani Turwa, who was said to be protecting the community.

In April 2021, Mani Turwa, one of the most notorious bandits in the Safana-Danmusa-Batsari axis, surrendered his arms to the police.

Turwa was said to have convinced other bandits living in the Illela forest neighbouring the dreaded Rugu forest to also surrender their arms and turn a new leaf.

Those who repented include Sale Turwa (Mani’s relative), Ado Sarki, and Sani Mai Daji.

Turwa and his team after their repentance were said to have been guarding the village and other neighbouring communities against attacks.

The bandits led by four of their leaders attacked on Friday and they engaged Turwa and his team in a gun duel.

They were, however, overpowered by Turwa’s team and several rustled domestic animals were recovered from them.

The bandits were displeased by Turwa’s action, and they returned in reprisal, destroying houses and killing innocent residents.

One of the residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The terrorists came on motorcycles and operated for four hours. They had a gun duel with Turwa and his boys but they were defeated. None of Turwa’s family and his boys were injured. The terrorists later returned to burn our houses and property, especially some of us who are in the Alhazana area of the village.

“At least 12 people were killed and were buried on Sunday. Many of us have relocated because of fears.”

The police spokesman, Gambo Isah, in reaction said he could not ascertain the number of people killed but joint security agents have been deployed to the village.

He said: “All I can tell you, for now, is that we received a report from the DPO in charge of Safana that Illela was under attack. And that was on January 27.

“Our operatives and that of the Nigerian Army are already there to ward off the terrorists and maintain peace there. As for the number of victims, honestly, I cannot give you the details until we receive a report from our operatives on ground there. But, peace has already returned there.”

Suspected herders kill Commissioner’s brother

*Gang rape, kill housewife in Ondo

A 65-year-old elder brother of Benue State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Christopher Inalegwu, was, yesterday,  murdered by suspected herdsmen on his farm in Aku, Okokolo council ward of Agatu Local Government Area of the state. 

The Commissioner, Mr. Michael Inalegwu, who received the news of the death while in an official assignment, broke down and  wept, lamenting the activities of armed herdsmen in the state. 

In his account, Inalegwu said the murdered father of four was on his farm when the herders stormed the area. 

He said: “When he saw them coming into his farm, he started shouting and raised the alarm that armed men were in the village. At that point they opened fire on him and retreated. When our people ran to the scene after hearing the gunshots, they saw my brother in his pool of blood. 

“I was called and informed of the incident, I immediately directed that he be moved to the General Hospital in Obagaji but when they got there, no doctor was around. I asked that he be moved to another hospital close to Oweto. He got there but three hours later he gave up the ghost. 

“This is painful, he was defenceless. He was the only brother I had left and these herdmen came and took his life just like that without any provocation. 

“It is unfortunate that this is happening to us in this state. When Governor Samuel Ortom cries out about the activities of herdsmen in the state some persons mock him. This is sad."

Suspected herdsmen gang rape, kill housewife in Ondo

In a related development, a housewife, Mrs 

Roseline Joguntan, was reportedly raped and killed by suspected herdsmen on her farm at Igbokoda in the Ilaje council area of Ondo State.

The deceased, a fruit seller, reportedly went to the farms to pick fruits for sales with one of her children when she was attacked by the bandits.

A source said: “After gathering the first basket of the fruits, she told her child to take it home. It was when the girl returned that she noticed that her mother was missing before she later found her dead in the bush. The deceased husband, Mr Joguntan, reported the case at the police station."

Residents alleged that the herdsmen, who have dominated the community in the recent past gang-raped and killed her.

According to one of the residents, “no sooner than the incident happened, some herdsmen were seen vacating the town en masse."

Speaking on the ugly incident, the police command image maker, Funmilayo Odunlami, said it was the husband of the deceased that informed the police when he could not reach his wife on phone. 

Odunlami said it was when the husband went to the farm to check on her that he found her lifeless body in the pool of her blood, adding that the killers would soon be exposed and brought to book.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Ilaje Security Council, Emorioloye Owolemi, has lamented that killings are becoming rampant in the council area and pleaded with the state government to come to their aid.

Owolemi said: “It is so sad that Igbokoda is witnessing the highest security threat. It has become daily killings. People live in fear and business activities have paralyzed.

“Therefore, we are calling on the state government to please help in strengthening local vigilante in Igbokoda."

Hoodlums burn down Obasanjo's mango farm

A mango plantation belonging to former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been burnt down by unknown hoodlums at Howe community in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

Vanguard gathered that the 140 hectares plantation was set on fire Saturday by the arsonists following probable disagreements with the locals over compensation for the piece of land that originally belonged to the state government.

Confirming the incident, the council chairman, Mr Emmanuel Ortsega, said it was deliberate sabotage by hoodlums.

He said: “The fire on the 139 hectares farm started about 2 pm on Saturday by hoodlums and nearly half of it is gone. It was a sabotage.

“It was strange that there was a fire outbreak in the farm because the farm was properly safeguarded.

“We summoned a meeting of stakeholders and leaders over the matter to fish out the perpetrators and by the grace of God we have already apprehended four persons and investigation is ongoing to fish out more culprits.”

Contacted, Director of the State Fire Service, Mr Donald Ikyaaza, said his office received a call from the police Saturday afternoon and successfully put out the fire late at night.

“When we received the call from the Police in Aliade, the local government headquarters, I dispatched my men to the place immediately and we were able to put out the fire outrightly. My men while returning to Makurdi that night were attacked by armed robbers, who beat them seriously and collected all the money they had on them, including their handsets. So that was the compensation we got for fighting the fire at the Obasanjo farm.

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident.

Couple faints, as child dies in inferno

Family members and neighbours reportedly had a hectic time reviving a couple who fainted after learning about the death of their child in a fire outbreak at Danbushiya Community near the Kaduna Millennium City.

It was gathered that the couple left the late child and two others at home when the said fire gutted their property.

According to a neighbour, “the fire gutted the family house of the children at about 10 pm on Sunday. The parents of the children were not at home when the fire razed the house.

“We cannot give details of what caused the fire as we only saw smoke billowing from the house. We tried to rescue the children but our efforts were not successful.

“The boy that died was a minor while his two siblings, a boy and a girl, were seriously injured and rushed to the hospital.

“We tried our best to break the door since their parents were not at home at the time of the fire incident but we couldn’t enter as the door was locked. Luckily, the two other children were brought out through the window.

“We could hear the late child crying for help, but could do nothing to help him as the fire had engulfed the room. When the parents later returned, they fainted and were also taken to the hospital.”

There was calm in the area when journalists visited, yesterday, but reactions from the authorities were still being awaited.

Fire destroys valuables

Meanwhile, an early morning fire, yesterday, destroyed valuables at an engineering firm on Airport Road, Warri, Delta state. 

No staff of the company was ready to speak on the likely cause of the inferno. 

Vanguard gathered that the timely arrival of firefighters helped in curtailing the spread of the inferno to buildings around the firm.

The fire outbreak caused many motorists to avoid taking Airport Road to drop their children in schools. 

“Those going to work also avoided this portion of the road this morning,“ an eyewitness said. 

The is about the second major fire outbreak in Warri recently, coming a few weeks after some parts of Ogbe-Ijoh market went up in flames.

Boat mishap: 2 feared dead

 A boat mishap in Rimingado Local Government Area of Kano State, yesterday, reportedly claimed two lives, coming after a similar incident about two months ago in the state that claimed 41 lives.

It was gathered that the victims boarded the boat from Zangon Durgu village to Kanya village.

Confirming the incident, spokesman, Kano Fire Service, Saminu Yusif, said while two people lost their lives, two others were rescued.

Yusif said: “Our formation received a distress call at about 11:50 am from Munir Dahiru, who reported a case of boat mishap at Zangon Durgu village in Rimingado LGA.

“Upon receiving the information, we deployed our men to the scene of the incident where they found that it was a canoe from Zangon Durgu to Kanya village that capsized.

“Four people were involved in the incident. Two were rescued while the other two victims were dead.

“The corpse of the two victims were  handed over to Vice Chairman of Rimin Gado LGA, Shafi’u Abdullahi Gulu.”

Culled from Vanguard