Land dispute: 73-yr-old man kills brother

SCARCITY:  As fuel scarcity bites harder, it increases long queues in some filling stations.Vehicles at Oando filling station, Ketu, Alapere bus stop along Lagos-Ibadan expressway. 

A septuagenarian, Ohalete Njoku, who allegedly murdered his younger brother, Austin Njoku, yesterday, over a land tussle in Umumbasi, Amaraku, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, has been handed over to the police.

It was gathered that the youths of the area, who carried out the arrest, strapped the suspect with palm fronds, as they forced him to carry the victim on his laps while conveying him in a wheelbarrow out of the community.

The suspect was later taken to a police station by the youths.

When interrogated, the suspect claimed he killed his brother, a truck pusher, while asleep for allegedly taking over the only piece of land belonging to the family.

He said he was angered by his younger brother’s action, which he submitted should have been his own by being the first son of the family.

A youth leader in the area, Bethran Uwandu, said they decided to take the suspect to the police to avoid taking laws into their hands.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Michael Abattam, was yet to respond to an inquiry made over the incident at press time.

Kidnappers shoot monarch in Ekiti

A first-class monarch in Ekiti State, the Attah of Ayede Ekiti, Oba Adeleye Orisagbemi narrowly escaped death, weekend, after he was attacked by unknown gunmen.

The incident, according to witness, happened Sunday between Isan and Ayede Ekiti around 9 pm when the monarch was said to be returning from a meeting.

Witnesses said the bandits attempted to kidnap the monarch but perhaps met some resistance which led to his being shot several times.

At press time, the monarch is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

Efforts to speak with him have been unsuccessful but when contacted, the spokesperson for Ekiti State Police Command, ASP Sunday Abutu, confirmed the incident.

*Police rescue 62-yr-old kidnap victim

Meanwhile, Police operatives have rescued a 62-year old kidnap victim around Ewhrekekan junction, Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State from the grips of his abductors.

Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr Bright Edafe, in a statement, yesterday, said: “On the 24/02/2022 at about 2230hrs, operatives of Dragon 18 Patrol team while on routine stop and search duty along ECN/Otu-Jeremi Aladja road by Ewhrekekan junction, sighted a Mercedes Benz ML 350 and Lexus 350 parked by the roadside.

“While observing the two vehicles, a kidnapped victim (name withheld) aged 62 years on sighting the police raised an alarm that he has been kidnapped. The patrol team swung into action and advanced towards the vehicles when suddenly, they heard gunshots.

“The team returned fire which made the hoodlums abandon the victim and escaped into the bush. The victim, who was rescued by the team, said he was kidnapped at about 1850hrs of the same date, at the entrance of his gate in Afisere road Ughelli."

Suspected herdsmen kill, bury victim in shallow grave

SUSPECTED herdsmen reportedly killed one Oghenevwoke Okpako on his farmland in Abraka community, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, burying him in a shallow grave.

A community source, who spoke to Vanguard on the development, said the deceased’s decomposing body was exhumed wrapped in a sack.

The source said: “The family members were looking for him for some days after he went to the farm and didn’t return. The family consulted an oracle that told them that he has been killed and buried in the bush.

“The people then went into the bush to look for him. Others from neighbouring communities with similar complaints also came looking for their people in the bush in the Abraka Reserve. While the search was on, the herdsmen sighted them and fled the bush.

“Our people are farmers and the farmland is usually very lonely. We have told the herdsmen severally that we don’t want them in the farmland because they are destroying the crops.

“When the farmers go to the farmland and see the cows destroying their crops, they try to stop them and in the process, the herders that are usually armed, attack the farmers. This incident is one of such cases.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr Bright Edafe, could not ascertain if the attack was carried out by herdsmen.

He said: “The family of the deceased came to the police station to report that their person was missing, that he left for farm and had not returned.

“The Divisional Police Officer constituted a search party comprising the police, members of the community and the family of the man to search for him.

“They came back with his corpse recovered from a shallow grave. An investigation is on to unravel the cause of his death and who is responsible.”

Barber kills father with pestle

A 23-year-old barber, Victor Akinwa, will be spending some time in prison for allegedly using a pestle to kill his father.

His remand was ordered by an Akure Chief Magistrate's Court in Ondo State.

Akinwa was said to have committed the offence at about 1:30 pm, November 20, 2021 at Basic Road, Idanre in the Ondo State Magisterial District.

The Police prosecutor, Obadasa Ajiboye, informed the court that the suspect hit his father, Justus Akinwa, with a pestle on his head, which resulted in his death.

Ajiboye said the offence contravenes Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.

The plea of the defendant was, however, not taken.

Ajiboye in an oral application urged the court to remand the suspect in correctional centre pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The Presiding Magistrate, Damilola Sekoni, remanded the suspect to the Olokuta Correctional Centre and adjourned the case to March 31, 2022.

NURTW Chairman, Kunle Poly, further remanded for alleged murder

A Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State, on Monday, February 28, further remanded Azeez Lawal, Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers, Lagos Island Branch B, for alleged murder.

Forty-eight-year-old Lawal (alias Kunle Poly) is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and being membership of an unlawful society. He is standing trial with one Adekanbi Wahab, 38.

Chief Magistrate Linda Balogun remanded them at the Ikoyi Custodial Centre, Lagos State.

Although, the charges were read to the defendants, their pleas were not taken.

Balogun ordered their further remand for 30 days pending advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

Balogun ordered the further remand following an application by the prosecutor, Mr Morufu Animashaun, attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti.

Balogun held that there was merit in the application.

The defendants were, on January 27, remanded for an initial period of 30 days. Balogun had remanded them pending further investigations by the police.

The court adjourned the case until March 28 for mention.

Bandits kidnap 8 in Kaduna community

Eight persons were reportedly killed, Sunday, in Madauchi village near Birnin Yero community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The community leader, Malam Suleman, who revealed this, yesterday, said the terrorists who raided the community Sunday night, shot sporadically and many residents ran away.

He said: “They injured locals and forced them into their vehicle. Since the villagers were taken away, nothing has been heard from the bandits or the victims. Please, security agents should come to our area. Criminals are terrorising us.”

A local added that seven people were murdered by the bandits at Ungwan Mallam, in the same community two days ago, wondering what attracted criminals to the community.

He said: “In this community, there is no rich man. We are all peasant farmers who eat from hand to mouth. Many residents in our community are finding it difficult to have even one meal a day. Yet, criminals, bandits have been terrorising our community.”

The Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalig, is yet to confirm the incident and did not respond to text messages sent to him.

Bandits kidnap 8 in Kaduna community

Eight persons were reportedly killed, Sunday, in Madauchi village near Birnin Yero community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The community leader, Malam Suleman, who revealed this, yesterday, said the terrorists who raided the community Sunday night, shot sporadically and many residents ran away.

He said: “They injured locals and forced them into their vehicle. Since the villagers were taken away, nothing has been heard from the bandits or the victims. Please, security agents should come to our area. Criminals are terrorising us.”

A local added that seven people were murdered by the bandits at Ungwan Mallam, in the same community two days ago, wondering what attracted criminals to the community.

He said: “In this community, there is no rich man. We are all peasant farmers who eat from hand to mouth. Many residents in our community are finding it difficult to have even one meal a day. Yet, criminals, bandits have been terrorising our community.”

The Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalig, is yet to confirm the incident and did not respond to text messages sent to him.

Police recover explosive device in Kaduna beer joint

*As over 80 football fans escape death

The police in Kaduna recovered an object suspected to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) dropped in a Kaduna beer parlour near the Kaduna-Abuja highway. 

It was gathered that at the time the suspected object was found, many football fans were watching the match between Liverpool and Chelsea football clubs in the beer parlour on Sunday.

A local said: “When the owner of the beer parlour sighted the suspected object that evening, he moved it to a nearby motor mechanic workshop. But security man attached to the workshop moved the object farther away to the back of the workshop.

“On Monday, the owner of the beer parlour called the attention of the police who came with bomb-detecting experts to neutralise the object before moving it to their office.

“I saw the object wrapped in a black bag with a battery connected to it, the kind of battery motorcycle uses. But this morning being Monday, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police came with some of his men who are bomb experts to remove the object.”

The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwa, who visited the scene of the incident with the Garrison Commander, advised the owner of the beer parlour to scale up personal security in the area. 

He said the state government would continue to beef up security in Kaduna State.

The owner of the beer parlour, Mr Larry Nuhu, said: “What happened yesterday (Sunday evening) at 9.30 pm or thereabout was that one of my staff rushed to call me that one man came with a bag and suddenly  dropped the bag in the beer parlour  and left.

“It was a black bag and when it was opened, I saw cables there, negative and positive. Thank God I know something about science. So I noticed that it must be something dangerous, though positive and negative wires were not connected.

“Another thought came into me to move the object from where customers were because it might be timed to cause serious damage. But I decided to move it away so that the damage could be minimal if at all it is timed. I took the risk and threw the bag far from the scene. So this morning (Monday) I called the JTF, who in turn invited the police. 

“The bomb experts came and identified it, it was a bomb. They combed the area and told me it was now safe. The commissioner of police later came and gave me the advice to beef up local security in the area. He also advised that we should not allow anybody with a bag to enter the place.

“I can estimate that over 70 to 80 people were watching the football match. This is because people were already leaving. After all, the match had come to an end. So some people had earlier left the place.”

Culled from Vanguard

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