My husband smashed our baby to death — teenage mother

 A 17-year-old mother, Promise Okon, has revealed how her husband, Benedict Anieze, smashed their four weeks old baby to death at their residence in the Idimu area of Lagos.

It was learned that the couple had an altercation that degenerated when he angrily threw his baby on the floor, smashing her head in the process.

According to Promise Okon, “the incident happened at our apartment at 5 Pipeline Road, Idimu when we were having a misunderstanding, my husband threw our one-month-old baby girl on the floor.

“She died instantly and he immediately set our apartment on fire. It took the intervention of neighbours to put out the fire.”

Vanguard gathered that after smashing the baby to death, the suspect proceeded to set the house on fire with his weeping wife and the dead child inside the apartment.

But for the timely response of their neighbours, who rescued Okon and put out the fire, she would have been burnt to death as she was yet to fully recover from the cesarean section she had a month ago while delivering her baby.

The case was reported at Idimu Police Division and the suspect was arrested.

During police interrogation, the suspect said it was the evil spirit that possessed him, that pushed him to the act.

Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said investigation is ongoing and that the command is treating the matter as a case of murder and arson.

“The suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal and Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba,” he said.

2-yr-old boy burnt to death in Rivers' midnight fire

A two-year-old boy was reportedly burnt to death in a midnight fire that razed over 30 makeshift apartments in Rivers State.

It was gathered that the fire incident started around 1 am, Monday, from one of the rooms at a batcher estate around the Y-junction area of Rumuagholu, Port Harcourt.

A source noted that the little boy that died was sleeping with his two other siblings when the fire got to their room.

It was said the children’s father, a Man-O-War personnel, who now serves as a civilian security guard, had gone to work when the incident occurred.

A source in the area noted that the first child, seven years old, had jumped out through the window when the fire got to the room they were sleeping in.

The source said: “A two-year-old boy died in the fire incident. He was sleeping in the room with his elder siblings when the fire started.

“The fire got to their house and there was nobody to help them. People thought that their mother was around, not knowing she was not sleeping with them

“The eldest child, who is about seven years, jumped out of the room through the window, because their mother locked the door outside while she was leaving the house late at night.

“When the eldest jumped out, the other second son, who is about five years tried to jump and the one that was already outside held his hand and pulled him out. There was no way for then to go back  to help the two-year-old boy.”

Man bags life imprisonment for raping, robbing  student at UNILAG

An Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court, yesterday,  sentenced a man, Collins Okechukwu, to life imprisonment for raping and robbing a 25-year-old student (name withheld) at the University of Lagos.

Delivering judgement, Justice Abiola Soladoye, who described Okechukwu as a “pathological liar,” held that prosecution proved the charges of rape and robbery against Okechukwu beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge sentenced Okechukwu to life imprisonment for rape, and 21 years’ imprisonment for robbery.

The judge, however, ordered that the two sentences should run concurrently.

She said: “The testimony of the defendant portrayed him as a pathological liar in the sense that he claimed that University of Lagos Guest House was fully booked and the survivor was sex starved, which made them have sex on bare floor. This is unbelievable and watery.

“The defendant lured the survivor into the Admin Block, brought out a pistol, raped her and robbed her of her valuables thereafter.

“The claim of the defendant to have met the survivor at the guest house and she agreed to have sex with him was consistently laced with irregularities and found unreliable.

“The defendant is found guilty as charged,  of the two offences, and thereby sentenced to life imprisonment in respect to rape and 21 years’ jail term for robbery.

“The sentences shall run concurrently. He should have his name entered in the Sex Offenders Register of the Lagos State Government.”

Sholadoye also cautioned female students in tertiary institutions against  giving out their telephone numbers to strangers.

“What manner of a woman is the victim herself? She should desist from giving out her numbers for unnecessary frolicking,” the judge said.

67-year-old man prevented from jumping into lagoon on his birthday

A 67-year-old man, Oluwatoye Bamgboye, from Oju community in Ore, Ogun State, was yesterday, rescued from jumping into the lagoon by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

Bamgboye was rescued by the officials who were on routine patrol while attempting to jump into the Lagos lagoon inward Lagos Island.

He reportedly said a personal challenge made him sell his house, land and car. With that, he still couldn’t solve the problem. He got a loan and the problem persisted.

He explained further that he secured a job and on the resumption date, he was informed that the job had been given to someone else.

“Today being my birthday, I have decided to end it all. The burden and the frustration are too much for me to bear. My wife has abandoned me in the process,” he said.

Vanguard gathered that he has been conveyed to Adekunle Police Station, where efforts are in progress to contact his family members.

3 kidnap victims regain freedom in Lagos

Three persons, who were kidnapped by some unknown gunmen in Ayobo Housing Scheme Extension, Oshin in Ayobo-Ipaja, Lagos State, have been released.

It was gathered that the victims, two sisters and a man, were abducted on Friday and Sunday respectively by yet-to-be identified gunmen, who invaded their estate.

The parents of the two sisters, who were released, Mr Rashidi and Mrs Oluwalogbon Salami, were grateful to God for the safe return of their daughters.

Mrs Oluwalogbon Salami told NAN during a visit, yesterday, that the entire family was happy because not all that were kidnapped usually returned.

“We are very grateful to God for the victory He has given to our family, to God alone be the glory.” she said.

It was observed that people were trooping into the residence of the Salamis to rejoice and congratulate them on the victory.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the victims had been released.

“The kidnapped persons hav regained their freedom and had been reunited with their families.” he said.

NAN gathered that the yet-to-be-identified gunmen came through the boundary between Lagos State and Ogun, and escaped with their victims inside a speed boat on Friday and Sunday respectively.

Earlier, the Financial Secretary of the Landlords’ Association in the area, Mr James Ojuade, had told NAN that the gunmen also killed two landlords who tried to prevent them from escaping with their victims.

“The gunmen, who kidnapped the two married sisters, daughters of Mr Rashidi Salami, on Friday killed Messrs Nurudeen Olanrenwaju, the Secretary of the Landlords ‘Association and Idris Olowolayemo.

Bandits, Army clash: Security beefed up around Abuja

*As death toll of soldiers rises to 16

*Army set to establish FOB at Rijana

SECURITY has been beefed up around the Federal Capital City, FCT, Abuja, following the clash between bandits and troops last week.

Competent military sources confirmed last night that troops of the Nigerian Army, comprising mainly Army Headquarters Garrison and Guards Brigade, have been put on red alert to avert a revenge attack by bandits/terrorists whose members were repelled earlier last week, in a failed attempt to infiltrate the Federal Capital territory through the Suleija/Zuma axis.

This is just as it emerged that the death toll of soldiers who were felled by the terrorists in the ambush attack had risen to 16.

It was gathered that during the heavy gun fight that ensued between the bandits in the forest, where they were converging before troops of 102 Guards Battalion confronted them, two officers and six soldiers were killed, while about 12 other soldiers were wounded before a reinforcement, led by the commanding officer in five Hilux vans stormed the forest and neuitralised many of the bandits.

However, sources have disclosed that some of the soldiers who sustained gunshot wounds in sensitive parts of the body and were rushed to several military medical  facilities in the FCT did not survive, bringing the number of casualties so far to about 16.

Vanguard was told that following intelligence report that the bandits may be hatching a plot to carry out a revenge attack, all entry and exit points of the FCT has witnessed troops carrying out reconniaisance patrols.

Specifically troops have been deployed to villages and area councils located along the Abuja/Lokoja expressway namely Abaji, Kwali and Gwagwalada Area Councils while the Suleija/Zuma axis has been beefed up by battle ready soldiers.

In this regard, soldiers have resumed cordon and search operations at Giri/Gwagwalada axis close to the University of Abuja while the same applies at the Zuba/Suleija axis.

One source disclosed that following last Tuesday’s bomb attack of train plying the Abuja/Kaduna railway line in which many people were killed and many others kidnapped   at Rijana,    and the assessment visit to the scene by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Faruk Yahaya, a directive had been issued for the establishment of a Forward Operations Base FOB at Rijana.

One source, who gave a further insight into the deployments, said:  “We’re deploying to the communities located along the Abuja/Lokoja highways and all exit/entry points into the FCT we have intelligence that these bandits/criminal elements are trying to establish their bases after excessive bombings of their enclaves in the North East and North West.

“They want to take advantage of the rural communities in the FCT to establish and launch attacks and be kidnaping innocent persons.

“This is why for sometime, cases of kidnapping have been frequent in the FCT, especially in the communities located along the Abuja/Lokoja highways and this necessitated the deployment of troops.

“Additionally, you know we are in an election season and criminals would do anything to want to destabilise the relative peace in the nation’s capital with their evil activities which they have been trying for sometime without success."

‘’In particular, areas of interest to the military and other security agencies where suspected criminal elements are believed to be hibernating include Zuba, Madalla, Gwagwalada, Bwari, Nyayan, Kugbo, Gwagwa, Mpape, Karmo, Kubwa   kuje, Masaka, Apo, Masaka, Gudu as well as some major markets in the city and troops area are taking no chances.’’

Efforts to get authorities of the Defence and Army headquarters to comment on the developments through phone calls proved abortive as the calls were not picked.

Police arrest 23 hoodlums, recover dangerous weapons in Bauchi  

TWENTY three hoodlums popularly called Sara-Suka youths have been arrested by police operatives in Bauchi with dangerous weapons recovered from them.

Police spokesman, SP Ahmed Wakil, stated in Bauchi, yesterday, that operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the police in the state arrested the hoodlums on Monday.

He added that the arrests were made as the hoodlums were inflicting injuries on residents and causing damage to their property at Unguwar Hardo and Unguwar Mahaukata areas of the state capital.

Items recovered were cutlasses, knives, axes, and razor blades, AK-47 Rifle, and 20 rounds of 7.62mm calibre live ammunition, he stated.

Wakil said one other suspect, Ahmadu Shuaibu, 40, alias Ruwaji of Bakin Ruwaji was arrested by police on routine patrol at Nabordo in Toro Local Government Area while in possession of dangerous weapons.

He stated also that the police recovered a Tecno cell phone, 28 sheep, 31 cows, eight prohibited firearms and a dog from criminals in the state.

The suspects would be arraigned after thorough investigation, Wakil assured. 

Culled from Vanguard