A baby boy who appears to be less than 24 hours old was found abandoned in a deserted path surrounded by shrubs in Ikorodu area of Lagos state recently.

The innocent child was welcomed to the world in this most wicked manner by an unknown mother or parents. The baby boy who was neatly wrapped was found in a bush along Ikorodu -Itokin road, close to the popular Lucky Fibre bus-stop, Ikorodu.

According to residents, the baby was found at about 7am that fateful day by passers-by who were alerted by the cries of the baby.

Sympathisers quickly rushed to the scene and saw the baby crying. There was no written note or inscription left by the run-away mother. According to an eye witness, the good Samaritans were afraid to carry the innocent crying baby but on the orders of the chairman of the Community Development Authority, CDA, the innocent baby was immediately taken to the nearest police station.

The child was immediately taken to Shagamu road Police Division, Ikorodu and then to an orphanage.

Wonders as the saying goes shall never cease. It is very amazing to hear cases of child abandonment especially when one considers the fact that children are precious gifts from God.

Police have arrested a 24-year-old man who allegedly failed to control his sexual appetite and raped his two-year-old niece.

The man, whose name is withheld to protect the identity of the child, is in custody assisting police with investigations. Acting police spokesperson for Midlands, Assistant Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko, said the incident occurred last Wednesday at around 5 am at Thornhill Airbase in Gweru.

The suspect is the brother to the toddler’s 36-year-old mother, whose name is also being withheld in the interest of the toddler. Asst Insp Mahoko said on the fateful day the mother of the two-year-old girl left the juvenile sleeping alone in the spare bedroom. It is alleged that the accused sneaked into the bedroom where the victim was sleeping and took her to his bedroom where he raped her once. The matter came to light when the mother of the child, on her return home, noticed that her daughter was having difficulties when walking. Asst Insp Mahoko said the mother questioned her daughter on what happened in her absence and the juvenile revealed that she had been raped. A police report was made leading to the arrest of the suspect. Asst Insp Mahoko said investigations were still in progress.

KaYakowa and immediate-past National Security Adviser, Andrew Azazi are dead.

They died Saturday afternoon when the naval helicopter conveying them from the burial of the father of Oronto Douglas, the Special Adviser on Research and Documentation to President Jonathan, crashed in the creeks of Bayelsa State.

The helicopter went down between 3.30 and 4 pm.

Their remains have been taken to Yenegoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.

Six people were said to be in the chopper including the two.

Ado-Ekiti – The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, on Friday ordered the release of 27 inmates who have been on awaiting trial list for a long time.

He gave the order during an official visit to Ado-Ekiti Federal Prison in Ado-Ekiti.

Daramola, who also granted bail to seven inmates, expressed dismay at the congestion in cells in the state.

He criticised the inadequate facilities in all the prisons.

“Today we have attended to 292 cases awaiting trial; 27 were released outright and seven others were granted bail, based on unfounded claim of offence, health condition and long stay in detention without any evidence to try them,’’ Daramola said.

In an interview with journalists, the chief judge said the aim of the visit was to remove congestion in the prison.

“We visited the prison to ensure that those detained are justifiably detained,’’ he said.

He said the judicial system needed to be reformed to make prisons serve the purpose for which they were established.

Daramola called for cooperation between Ekiti State Judiciary and officials of the Nigeria Prison Service, Ekiti command.

He said such partnership would facilitate speedy processing of cases and help to eliminate congestion in prisons.

The Comptroller of Prisons in Ekiti State, Mr Tajudeen Aremu, said prisons officials would always cooperate with the state judiciary.

Aremu appealed to other stakeholders and agencies to assist his command in the area of infrastructure and sponsorship of workshops to facilitate operation. (NAN)

The police in Lagos, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, have arrested an okada rider identified as Igali for stabbing a landlady’s son, Demola Talabi, to death.

The middle-aged Igali allegedly used a screw driver to stab Talabi on the neck and other parts of his body.

The victim slumped and died due to excessive bleeding.

The 42-year old Talabi from Ogun State and married with two kids, was said to be trying to mediate in an argument between Igali and a passenger over N50.

According to Talabi’s younger brother, Ayo, the incident occurred at Osho Street, Opebi and they (members of his family) were contacted. Before he got to the scene, his brother had died due to excessive bleeding.

The body has been deposited at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) mortuary for autopsy report.

A witness told P.M.NEWS that the late Talabi was on a visit to his mother’s house at 14, Irewole Street, Opebi, when he met the okada man and a passenger arguing over N50 fare.

He was said to be trying to settle the matter when Igali brought out a screw driver and stabbed him several times.

The suspect was arrested and detained at the Ikeja Police Station.

When P.M.NEWS visited the station, the suspect was in the cell.

The DPO was said to be in a meeting when our reporter sought to speak with him.

Police sources confirmed that the matter would soon be transferred to the SCID, Panti, Yaba.

At her mother’s residence in Irewole Street, sympathisers were consoling the bereaved mother and Talabi’s wife.

Residents expressed shock over Talabi’s death and described him as a hard working man.

Many people consider 12/12/12 to be a lucky or evil day depending on which side of the divide you stand but miss MacLennan, 34, an admin worker at an investment bank, and her husband, Andrew Talmage, 39, who works in car restoration, will always remember the day as a joyous and memorable one because their second son, Oliver Talmage was born on that date.

Oliver Talmage: Born On 12/12/12 At 12:12pm

Astonishingly, the newborn was also delivered at 12.12pm.

The question is, does that make Oliver the anti-christ because his own date and timing is strange to say the least. If you recall, a lot of superstitious meanings were attached to the date 12/12/12 with some news reports claiming that a boy who turned 12-years on that day is the anti-christ.

But this particular news should spook those who believe in the myth associated with the date otherwise it is just another ordinary day.

The long arm of the law has finally caught up with two men suspected to be the leaders of the armed gangs that attacked a branch of First Bank in Ekiti State and the World Oil Petrol Station in Ibafo, Ogun State, a few months ago.

Ejike Mbogu and Ayomide Oyebanji were said to have been arrested by the police in Lagos after an intensive search.

Also, eight other suspected robbers, Gbenga Oni, Taofeek Mumuni, Ogbonnaya Ekweye, Kundus Adetono, Yemi Ayodeji, Shola Ayodele, Gani Moshood and Seyi Aluko, all of who allegedly had participated in some major robbery attacks in the South-West, are currently in the custody of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, Lagos.

Another suspected robber, Seun Adegboyega, aka Dada, was shot dead during a raid in Ikotun.

Three policemen reportedly lost their lives in the robbery in Ekiti, which occurred sometime in May 2012 and lasted about an hour. An undisclosed amount of money was said to have been stolen by the robbers during the attack.

Also, the robbery at the petrol station in Ibafo claimed the lives of two policemen. Both of them were shot when a gang of daredevil robbers invaded the station.

CRIME DIGEST learnt that three other policemen were killed when the same gang of robbers struck in the Oke-Itoku area of Abeokuta.

On Sept. 10, the gang robbed several bureau de change operators in Agege, Anthony, Ojodu, Itire, Ikeja and Ilasamaja  areas of Lagos, killing three policemen and a commercial bus driver.

The end came for Mbogu and Ayodeji about three weeks ago when a Honda car allegedly stolen in Akute, Ogun State, was traced to the former’s aged mother in Anambra State.

Assisted by Mbogu’s brother, a team of policemen from SARS in Lagos succeeded in apprehending the suspected gangster in a hotel in Ikotun. Led by Superintendent Abba Kyari, the team found Mbogu in company with five other members of his gang. In the ensuing stampede, three members of the gang managed to escape.

 Mbogu was arrested, but not before he was shot while trying to disarm one of the policemen. Dada was killed as he tried to escape.

On his part, Ayodeji was allegedly responsible for organising most of the major robberies which occurred in the Ikotun/Igando areas of Lagos state this year. “Ayodele is my friend; he lives at Ikotun and usually brings information about thriving businesses in the area.  I got to know him as a building developer when I came in the guise of an Omo oni ile (land speculator) to a site he was supervising. We robbed a Coca-Cola depot at Liasu Road; I got N120,000 as my share in that operation. We robbed a super mart at Igando and a turkey cold room at Liasu road. Most of the robberies at Liasu Road were carried out by our gang,” Ayodeji confessed.

On the other hand, Oyebanji’s gang is believed to be responsible for most of the robbery attacks that have taken place in Victoria Island, Lekki and Ajah.

Leading the attacks himself alongside four other members on the run, Oyebanji allegedly dispossessed residents of the island of their cars, money and other valuables. CRIME DIGEST gathered that in one of such incidents, two policemen on guard at a home in VI were killed in a shootout with the robbers.

 In an interview with our correspondent, Mbogu confessed that he was lured into armed robbery four years after he moved to Lagos.

He said, “I moved to Lagos after my father’s death and started earning a living as an apprentice to my brother who sold refrigerator parts in Mushin.  For a while, things were difficult. Then I met one Segun in Surulere. He claimed to be a soldier. I noticed that he lived on the fast lane and he was not alone. All the boys who moved with him also lived on the fast lane. Although I didn’t know it, Segun was an ex-convict.

“One day after we got talking, Segun invited me for a drink with his boys. He asked me if I had been involved in any crime of any sort. When I answered in the negative, he said I didn’t have the required experience for the kind of work he did. So, he assigned me to pick pockets alongside Opeyemi. For some weeks, I would steal wallets and other valuables during rush hours.

“Segun monitored my progress regularly. Later, I was allowed to drive them on a motorcycle whenever they wanted to snatch handbags. Most of our victims were sales girls going to the bank to deposit or withdraw money.

“Eventually, Segun relocated to Cotonou with some members of his gang when the police were on their trail. By then, I had established contacts with other robbers and one arms supplier known as Tochukwu.”

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Umaru Manko, confirmed the arrests.

“Ever since his involvement in the Wema Bank robbery at Dopemu in 2008, Oyebanji has long been on the wanted list of the police. About 15 armed robbers participated in that robbery attack and 13 of them were arrested. Oyebanji and one other member of the group had been on the run since then.

“Oyebanji’s gang was responsible for the bullion van robbery in Badagry about five months ago. A police sergeant and three other civilians were killed during the attack.

“Oyebanji was arrested last week after he was sighted by a source around Iyana-Ipaja. A SARS team led by Kyari trailed him to Oshodi. He was shot while trying to escape arrest while a receiver of stolen goods, Muyiwa, who was with him at the time, was also arrested,” Manko said.

Oyebanji was said to have made confessional statements which led to the discovery of eight AK-47 rifles belonging to the policemen who were killed in the Ekiti, Badagry and Ibafo robbery attacks.

One English pump action, and 25 magazines loaded, with 30 rounds of ammunition, were also found hidden in a Nissan Almera car which was parked in a mechanic’s workshop at Apapa Road, Oyingbo.

One pump action an AK-47 rifle, two locally-made double-barrelled shotguns, two assault rifles and 10 AK-47 magazines (fully loaded), were also recovered from the gang’s former armoury at Ifo when Aluko led a SARS team to the hideout. Unfortunately, most of the guns and ammunition had been taken away to be used in a robbery attack the same day.

Posted by mosvin bami.

The National Assembly  on Thursday agreed that any terrorist act that results in the death of another Nigerian would carry a death penalty.
This is contained in the report by the conference committee of the National Assembly that harmonised the different versions of the amendment bill passed by both chambers.
The Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 (Amendment) Bill, 2012 was passed  by the House of Representatives on October 11 and by the Senate on Wednesday, October 17.
Presenting the committee’s report on the floor of the Senate on Thursday, Chairman, Senate Committee on National Security and   Intelligence, Senator Mohammed Magoro, said, “Clause 2 amends Section 1 of the Principal Act,  which deals with ‘prohibition of acts of terrorism’ in general.
“The Senate version prescribes life imprisonment for offences under this clause, while the House version prescribes death penalty. After deliberations, the House version was adopted by the conference committee.”
“Section 1(2) of the House’s version states that “a person or body who knowingly in or outside Nigeria directly or indirectly willingly does, attempt or threatens any act of terrorism…commits an offence under this Act and is liable on conviction to a maximum of death sentence”.
The committee adopted the Senate’s  new section 17 which provides a minimum of 20 years imprisonment for act of conspiracy, whereas the House had recommended life imprisonment.
Both  chambers also  agreed to a new section 18 to a life imprisonment for aiding and  abetting acts of terrorism, though it was moderated by a clause which recommended 20 years where the  act was not committed.
However, the Senate could not adopt the report on Thursday because some signatures of members of the committee were missing.
Magoro was asked to return the document for members to endorse it before it would be passed.
Meanwhile, security experts say the absence of a coordinating authority for the counter-terrorism fight may hinder the efforts of security agencies to stop terrorism in the country.
They also believe that the  amended bill on terrorism passed by the National Assembly was politicised and lacked the bite the law enforcement agencies need to prosecute terrorism offenders.
A senior security officer said, “The implication of this is that there is no central coordinating authority as the various security agencies would not submit their operations, intelligence and findings to a central authority as it obtains in other countries fighting terrorism.”
Also a former Security Adviser to River State Government, Chief Sara-Igbe said the anti-terrorism bill was not watertight enough, adding that until the loopholes in the law were closed through an amendment, the counter-terrorism war would continue to be frustrated.
He called on President Jonathan to send an amendment quickly, saying the lawmakers who passed the bill were “novices who don’t understand the dynamics of terrorism.”
Courtesy Punch

Posted by mosvin bami.

Five children between the ages of four and 12 were killed in an inferno in the Kirikiri area of Lagos State on Thursday.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the five children, Emeka 12, Ifeanyi 10, Chinasa eight, Joy six, and Bright four, who are of the same parents, were burnt alive at their home located at 29 Comfort Oboh Street, Kirikiri.

The parents of the victims were identified as Ogbonna and Margaret Igwuagwu.

Our correspondent learnt that although over 30 people live in the compound, which was completely consumed by the fire, only the five children died.

Sympathisers were said to have surrounded the premises crying and wailing over the incident, while charred remains of the victims were being evacuated.

According to residents, the fire started at about 11.30 pm in the room where the five children were sleeping and later spread to other rooms all made of wood.

The parents of the children were said to have locked them inside the room and lit a candle for them as there was no electricity supply.

Neighbours said it was the usual habit of the parents to lock the children inside the room whenever they were going to their shop in the evening.

It was learnt that the children slept off while the candle fell, thereby spreading the fire to other parts of the room. Woken by the heat, they were said to have shouted for help while the fire raged, but neighbours were too busy saving themselves.

One of the neighbours said the eldest son, Emeka, had begged his parents not to lock them in but allow them to spend sometime outside but their mother refused.

“I can vividly remember when Mama Emeka ordered her children to go and sleep, saying that she needed to go back to attend to customers who were waiting for her. Emeka, the eldest, pleaded that they should be allowed to stay outside for a while.

“She insisted that they should go to bed since they were to travel the following day.  I believe that it was in a bid to prevent them from running out of the house that she locked them inside and went away with the key,” she said.

Some neighbours told journalists that they heard the wailing of the children when the fire was raging, but could not break through to rescue them due to a hard burglar proof that was used at the entrance of the room.

According to residents who witnessed the incident,  firefighters were informed but could not get to the scene  due to bad roads in Kirirkiri.

A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “The road is not passable and there is always traffic congestion in that area. Men of the Naval Fire Service got here first, but they could not help the situation because the damage had already been done.”

One of the tenants, Udoh Bassey, whose room was also burnt, told journalists that no one could say exactly what caused the fire.

“It started at about 11.30 pm when some of us were still awake. It was the cry from that room that attracted my attention. The entire compound was razed down before help could come our way. I was able to save a few of my property because my room was located far away from the source of the fire.

“The children died because their parents locked them inside the house and went back to their shops close by. We tried but before we could reach them, there was an explosion from one room to the other as all the other rooms were razed down.”

When contacted, spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said the parents of the victims had suffered shock and were rushed to hospital.

“At about 11.20pm, police received a call that a house in Kirikiri was on fire. The house was made of wood and corrugated iron sheets and the fire engulfed it. Five children died in the fire,” she said.

- The Punch

Posted by mosvin bami.