Five Osborne Towers VIP Tenants Under EFCC Probe

More facts emerged at the weekend on the cash haul at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was on the trail of some high-profile tenants when it found the $43.4 million, £27,000 and N23 million at House 6, Apartment 7B, it was learnt.

Four of the tenants have been quizzed, while a petition is pending against the fifth.

The building, it was learnt, had been under surveillance because of the tenants.

Sources said a whistle-blower alerted the EFCC about the apartment in which the huge cash was recovered.

When the EFCC moved in, a source said, it was unaware that the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) had a Safe Apartment there.

The high-profile tenants live in the building.

The anti-graft agency, according to the sources, had been trying to identify the tenants’ assets, including choice apartments in the towers.

The whistle-blower, it was learnt, might have had knowledge of the EFCC’s discreet investigation and decided to help.

But, as it turned out, the apartment does not belong to any of the tenants.

One of them was said to have sold his stake in the towers.

A source said: “As at the time of the EFCC’s operation on Wednesday, about five high-profile tenants, who are either being investigated or on the radar of the commission, were suspected to be living or having apartments there.

“Some of the tenants have been quizzed and others are undergoing investigation. Only one of them has an outstanding petition still being probed by EFCC detectives.”

“Among them are two former governors, a director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and two prominent lawyers.

“So, when the whistle-blower raised the red flag, the EFCC was quick to move in without knowing that the 7B apartment is a safe house of the NIA.

“There was excitement in the Lagos Zonal office of the EFCC about a breakthrough. This was why the operation started between 10am and 11am,” the source said.

He said EFCC was hesitant to cooperate with the NIA.

A government official, who pleaded not to be named because of “the sensitivity” of the matter, spoke last night in what transpired between EFCC and NIA.

He said the EFCC did not set out to ridicule or embarrass the NIA. “It is unfortunate that this is the second time this type of incident is happening between the two agencies,” he said, adding:

“There was a case of some cash released for contingency assignment by presidential fiat through the NIA account. The release was based on the directive of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

“When the EFCC began the investigation of some Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), it traced the movement of the cash to NIA account. Instead of seeking explanation from the Director-General of NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, the EFCC wrote directly to the Central Bank of Nigeria( CBN) to demand the details of the transactions on the said account.

“In fact, the documents obtained from CBN included other sensitive operations and overhead. The NIA took exception to it. When President Muhammadu Buhari intervened, he saw all the records that neither NIA DG nor any staff benefited from the said funds.

“NIA actually transferred the whole money as directed by the ex-President to another dedicated account. Subsequent EFCC investigation did not indict NIA. As for Wednesday’s operation, it was true that DG of NIA rushed to the Acting chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, who promised to intervene. The NIA boss only asked EFCC to retrieve the cash without making a public show of it in the media.

“At the time the NIA got in touch with EFCC, the operation was already midway and strategy wise, the EFCC chairman felt it would convey a different impression because a crowd had already gathered in and around the towers.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “The operation was based on the clues from the whistle-blower. The commission acted on intelligence. No one gave EFCC a list of safe houses of NIA. And the cash was also considered huge for NIA’s covert operations.”

According to the source, the EFCC secured clearance from a senior intelligence officer before continuing its operation after entreaties from the NIA.

”I think there was communication gap somewhere and lack of synergy between the security and intelligence agencies,” he said, adding:

“This incident will serve as a lesson for all the agencies to cooperate and share intelligence.”

Nigerians have continued to raise questions about the ownership of the mystery cash, which the NIA has claimed.

Among the questions is that if the money was meant for operations, why has it not been spent in two years? Was there any need for it, considering how long it has stayed unspent?

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said the money belongs to the state. If it is not returned in seven days, said the governor, the state will launch a legal battle to recover it.

He said it was the proceed of the state’s gas turbine sold by the Rotimi Amaechi administration.

Amaechi denied the claim, saying he had nothing to do with the money. He challenged Wike to prove the allegation.

About N16billion has been recovered by the EFCC in the last few days in Lagos.

About N12,360,814,000 and N4billion were traced to private accounts.

On December 22, last year, the Federal Government launched the whistle blowing policy to expose fraud and other related crimes in public and private sectors.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said: “If there is a voluntary return of stolen or concealed public funds or assets on the account of the information provided, the whistle blower may be entitled to anywhere between 2.5 per cent (minimum) and 5.0 per cent (maximum) of the total amount recovered.” - Nation Newspapers

Osborne Towers at No 16 Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, where over $50 million was discovered by the EFCCEFCC

Most wanted female terror suspect found dead in Kenya

One of Kenya’s most wanted terror suspects, Fatuma Mohamed Masou, who had a Sh2 million bounty on her head, was found dead in Kedong, Kenya.

She was the wife of slain terrorist Kassim Omondi, who was killed by police during a raid in 2013.

 On the run since September last year, her body was found in Kedong, near Naivasha, more than a month ago, but the police officers who stumbled upon her remains did not immediately identify her.

Her family did not show up for the brief burial ceremony at the Naivasha Muslim cemetery, but instead asked well-wishers to inter her remains.

Police put a bounty on Ms Masou’s head after they accused her of hiding yet another terrorist, Ishmael Shosi, who was killed in September last year during a raid in Mombasa.

They believed she was armed, dangerous and closely linked to jihadist networks in Somalia and the region. Although she was arrested soon after her husband’s death in 2013, she was released after denying before a magistrate that she had been found in possession of assorted firearms, including two hand grenades and a gun.

And then, about a month ago, police officers stumbled upon two bodies in a field in Kedong, Naivasha.

After fingerprint identification, it turned out that the two were some of Kenya’s most wanted fugitives, said local police boss Titus Mathuku. The other was Farid Omar Awadh, also on the police wanted list.

A Naivasha-based Muslim preacher, Adam Ali Hassan, on Sunday said family members had positively identified the two bodies before they were buried at the Naivasha Muslim cemetery.

“The family of Awadh came and positively identified the body,” said Mr Hassan. “We also got in touch with the family of Masou and, after giving them her physical descriptions, they confirmed that she was the one. They have given us the go-ahead to bury her.”

 As news of her death sunk in on Sunday, police officers said they were also holding two men suspected of being Al-Shabaab militants sent by the terrorist organisation to launch attacks in Kenya during the Easter season.

Juma Mwangoh Athman, 24, was arrested Friday evening at his house in Shika Adabu, Likoni, after a raid by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).
 

Two hand grenades, pouches of an AK-47 rifle, a jungle jacket, 10 rounds of ammunition and one pair of binoculars were found in the house.

 

Coast regional CID boss Pius Macharia said his officers had been monitoring the suspect for some time.

“We are now questioning him to establish whether he has been involved in other terror-related activities,” said Mr Macharia.

The other suspect, Stephen Wagechi, was nabbed while sneaking into Mandera from Bula Hawa in Somalia. He recently converted to Islam and assumed the name Mohammed.

According to a police report seen by the Nation, Wagechi was born in Thika and was converted to Islam in 2014 at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology by a Mr Yusuf, who was also a student at the campus. He is expected in court on Tuesday.

The arrests come a day after police released a list of nine suspected terrorists that they said may either have sneaked into Kenya from Somalia or are in the final stages of planning

They are Habib Karongo, alias Jureyj; Juma Were; Mohamed Tajir; Abdullahi Jarso Kotola; Gufu Tari Gufu; and Ahmed Said Omar.

Others are Abubakar Abdikadir Abubakar; Issa Abdalla Kauni; and Fuad Abubakar Manswab.

Manswab is a close associate of one of the Western world’s most wanted terror suspects, Samantha Lewthwaite, and has been on international and local police radar since 2011.

He was first arrested alongside British terror suspect Jermaine Grant in December 2011, the same night Lewthwaite escaped a police dragnet in Kisauni, Mombasa.

Source: The Nation Kenya

Shocking ! Man beaten and chased out of matrimonial home by his wife and son

A 67-year-old man claims his wife of decades and their son beat and chased him away from their matrimonial home in Kanjuku village in Githunguri, Kiambi County Kenya.

Mwaniki Nding'uri also claims that his wife is plotting to forcefully acquire a 20-acre parcel of land that he inherited from his wealthy mother, who died several years ago.

His wife was suspected to have hired unknown people to destroy a large coffee plantation belong to him.

 "My wife destroyed my coffee plantation to lease the productive land. We have tried to reconcile through authorities such as the chief, District Commissioner and even the County Commissioner to no avail," Mr Nding'uri said.

He claims that his wife has been beating him senseless for the past seven years, and now fears for his life. So he has decided to come out and cry for help publicly after more than seven attempts to report the assault cases to the police failed.

"My son recently kicked, punched me hard on the mouth under his mother's instructions. Nearly all my front teeth broke off. I tried filling a report at Githunguri Police Station but my attempts were frustrated," said Mr Nding'uri.

"My wife has brought in another man, who is way younger than her in our matrimonial home. They are living together. I was forced to rent a house in Githunguri after the pastor of the church that had taken me in, was transferred," he added.

Meanwhile, Githunguri OCPD, Ranson Lolmodon, had promised to hunt down and charge the suspects who destroyed Mr Nding'uri's coffee plantation. God help our African people, such a shame.

Source: eDaily Kenya

Police arrest two Nigerian men, local woman for duping people across India

The Udaipur police has arrested five persons including two Nigerian nationals and a woman over the weekend, for duping many people across the country through online fraudulent activities.

The notorious gang have been operating for two years and have duped people of 3 crore rupees. Rich and educated people from big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur and many other places had fallen victims to their allurement and deposited lakhs of rupees, police said.

The thugs frequently changed their locations to evade arrest. Presently, they had been operating from Mumbai before falling in the police net, the gang befriended their victims on social networking sites before playing their tricks, police said. The gang had purchased ready made garments from the duped money and dispatched to Nigeria through air cargo.

The two Nigerian suspects Victor alias Kalvin and Idumi Charles, along with their aid Prema Das Soni were arrested from Virar in Mumbai while two men Sandip Mahindra and Naresh Pancholi both residents of Udaipur were held for aiding them.

Prema was in a live-in-relationship with a Nigerian citizen who introduced her to Victor and Charles. Surprisingly, Victor even had a voter identity card which is issued only to Indian citizens. The card reflects a Hyderabad address. The Nigerian Embassy has been informed about the arrest, police said.

"We had a tip from our informer that Sandip and Naresh were into some illegal activity. When we interrogated them we realized they were part of an international racket that committed online frauds through various means. These two men operated bank accounts in Udaipur and transferred money which were deposited in these accounts from all over India by victims who were lured into lucrative deals by the masterminds.

Speaking to reporters, Udaipur SP Rajendra Prasad Goyal said the bank account holders were mostly less educated people who didn't knew what was being done with their account, they were paid petty amount in return of sharing the details. Police has seized 11 Lakh rupees cash, 7 kilo silver, 20 gram gold biscuit, many ATM cards, signed cheque books from Sandip and Naresh's custody.

" For the first time, police took initiation to crack the case. A special team was formed and we played the victims by posing as their client and engaged them into prolonged chatting sessions to get their details" said Chandra Purohit, Circle Inspector of Ambamata police station.

The perpetrators used the social media platform mainly Facebook and Whatsapp to earn confidence of people. They played various tricks on people once they initiated conversation or stroke friendship with them. At times they posted attractive advertisements of selling products like branded clothes, home equipment at discounted prices.

When enquiries poured in, they would contact the clients through text messages and ask to deposit money at certain account numbers. Once they got the money, they would terminate communications with the person forever.

"When one of our men befriended the woman, she made a story of having trapped in an emergency situation on a ship, which she said had been attacked by pirates. She asked for financial aid from the cop assuming that he had believed her story" Purohit said.

Another trick would be of posing as good Samaritan and offering gifts. When someone agreed to accept the gift, they would be asked to pay for the custom duty for the parcel.

Source: Times of India

Efe speaks on how he'll spend his N25m

When you were in the House, some of your fans went as far as climbing the mountain to pray for you, how did you react when you heard about it?

Na so I hear o. You know, in Nigeria, we are very passionate about prayer; when we want a particular thing, we pray over it and I’m glad their prayers for me were answered.

How do you plan to spend the N25 million you won?

Well, I will spend it based on logistics (Laughs).

Do you have any plan for Marvis after the BBN House?  

All those kisses have ended with the show (Laughter).

Did you have any girl friend before going into the BBN House?  

No, I didn’t have a girl friend.

Why now?  

It’s because I’m not really particular about girls. I do my thing the way it comes.

After Big Brother Naija, what’s next? 

 

It’s music, music all the way. I also look forward to working with Olamide Baddo. He voted for me and promised to support my career. God bless him.

Photo :LAGBUS carrying Deeper Life Members from Easter retreat catches fire

About 100 Deeper Life Bible Church members have escaped death when the LAGBUS conveying them from camp to Lagos burst into flames.

The chattered LAGUS, conveying worshippers coming from the National Deeper Life Retreat on Sunday, caught fire on Otedola Bridge, Berger area of Lagos.

The bus took off from the Deeper Life Conference Centre, Km 42, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway after the end of the four-day retreat.

On Otedola bridge, the bus carrying at least a 100 worshippers was said to have burst into flames as people scamper to safety before the inferno could consume them.

Officials of Lagos Fire Services and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, arrived the scene on time to rescue worshippers before the LAGBUS was consumed.

Any eye witness said the bus might have caught fire as a result of over heating.

According to him, several worshipers abandoned their loads and escaped to avoid being burnt in the inferno, saying that there was frantic scampering for safety by the passengers.

Members were said to have gathered at one side of the road singing praises to God, for saving them from being burnt to death after they just left an inspiring retreat, where Pastor Williams Kumuyi of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry prayed for
 the for God’s blessings and that they would not die untimely.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe said his men arrived the scene on time and were able to rescue members and confirmed that life was lost.

A LASEMA official who craved anonymity also confirmed that no life was lost but that the bus burnt completely.

Confession of 21-year-old who stabbed his father to death in Enugu for advising him to quit cultism

When Pastor Simeon Obelue called his 21-year-old son Chidubem Obelue and advised him to renounce his membership of a cult group, little did he know that it would lead to his untimely death.

The 59-year-old cleric was until his tragic death, the parish pastor of Christ Holy Church a.k.a “Odozi Obodo” in Iwolla-oghi town, Ezeagu Local Government Area, Enugu State.Like every good father, Simeon had advised his son to renounce his membership of a cult group. 

Chidubem did not take kindly to the advice, and in anger packed out of the father’s house in the church premises on December 4, 2016 and relocated a house he rented for himself. This effectively set him free from attending the church. Apparently, he also began planning to attack his father.

The Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Danmallam, who confirmed the incident toldSunday Sun that on March 11, 2017, about 1.00am, Chidubem sneaked into the family house and passed through the kitchen, where he picked up a knife and laid an ambush for the father.

When the unsuspecting man came out to urinate, Chidubem pounced on him. He stabbed the father in the stomach and ran out of the house.

The loud scream of the mortally injured man drew that attention of his wife, who rushed out and beheld Chidubem running away from the stricken man.

She ran after him and raised the alarmed, which woke up neighbours. In the haste to escape, the suspect’s cellphone fell from his pocket.

The cellphone as well as the sounds made by his feet assisted the neighbours to track Chidubem down and arrest him.

The case was immediately reported to the police station at Iwolla-Oghi town. Meanwhile, other concerned neighbours rushed Simeon to Neke-Oghe Health Centre, where he was admitted and treated for one day before being transferred to Unity Hospital, a bigger health facility where he eventually died on March 14, 2017.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Enugu Police Command, Mr. Ishola Abdullahi disclosed that detectives from the homicide section recovered the knife allegedly used by the suspect.

At the SCID headquarters where he is being held while investigation is ongoing, Chidubem spoke with Sunday Sun. He confessed to the crime and made a revelation:

"My father told me to renounce my membership of a cult group. I accepted to do so. I joined the cult when I was in JSS 3 at CPS Secondary School in Imo State. In 2013, I went to meet our cult leader and told him that I want leave the cult. I was told to bring two cartons of beer and N5,000, which I did. I stopped attending their meetings. But they started threatening me, saying that I must not renounce my membership."

Chidubem who hails from Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State said further that he continued to be pressured by the cult until he killed his father.

"I have regretted my action by killing my father because he advised me to renounce my membership of the cult. I stopped attending my father’s church because he was preaching to me to repent."

During a visit to Iwolla-Oghi town, Sunday Sun reporter spoke with a member of the church, Paul Chukwu, who said:

"The entire congregation was shocked that the son of the pastor was a cultist. Chidubem stopped coming to the church for a long time. We didn’t know that Pastor Simeon Obelue had a misunderstanding with his son. We cannot believe that our pastor is dead." - The Sun 

Happy Easter to our fans !

Matthew 20:17-19

17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 

18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 

19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

Everyone will be raised to life in Jesus name.

Happy Easter to our lovely fans and numerous readers ! 🍔🍔🍔

Festus Keyamo gives credit to FG on Whisteblowing Policy

Human Rights lawyer and activist, Festus Keyamo, has lauded the whistleblowing policy of the Federal Government as an effective tool in tackling corruption.

Keyamo said on Sunday in Lagos that the various revelations about money stashed and abandoned in some places were the positive effect of the whistle blowing.

“People are now ready to blow whistle, the populace now have confidence in assisting the government to fight corruption through whistleblowing.

“The war against corruption which seemed to be lost is now turning back to a win situation and revival for the country. The only warning is that we are not yet there but we have taken a huge step forward.


“Whistleblowing is very good and everybody is now a watchdog. I commend the policy, a situation whereby everybody can raise alarm and also alert the Economic Financial and Crime Commission.

“We are gradually winning but we are not there yet as there are many things to be done in this regard,’’ he said.

Keyamo said that though whistleblowing had recorded some success stories, there must be deligent investigation before trial in court to forestall loss of corruption cases.

“The second part of the anti-corruption fight is that we must strengthen the arm of prosecution if we don’t want corruption cases as an exercise in futility.

“The investigative part of the alleged crime must be diligent so that by the time people are taken to court, the case is solid enough and it will be easy for the prosecution to do the job.

“In most cases, by the time the case gets to the prosecutor, the case is hazardly done. But on the other way round, investigation should have been properly carried out and prosecutor will do his part.

“Investigation must be thorough before it gets to the prosecutors, it is important that investigations are well sorted out so that the prosecution becomes easy,’’ he said.

NAN 

Sultan of Sokoto says Nigerians are hungry because we're lazy

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar has said there is hunger in Nigeria because people are lazy.

“The chairman, Shura committee talk about hunger in the land but let me make it clear that we are hungry because we are lazy,” he stated.

He was responding to the remarks of the chairman of the Shura committee of the National Islamic Centre, Ahmad Bello, who said that there is extreme hunger in the land at the 22rd annual Ummah Convention held in Sokoto.

According to the Sultan, Nigeria is endowed with fertile land that if properly harnessed could lead the country to greatness but for the laziness of the people.

He said, "The chairman, Shura committee talk about hunger in the land but let me make it clear that we are hungry because we are lazy.

"Let us be very frank and blunt about this- there is hunger, extreme hunger in the land. There is no more vociferous and forceful evidence on this than the millions of our hapless children, all victims of cruel parental neglect, who go about begging for food from households, on streets, or just eating out of dustbin.''

The monarch recalled that agriculture had been the pride of the North, which need to be restored.

He urged Nigerians to take advantage of the agricultural programs initiated by their state and federal governments for development of the region and the country in general.

Photo news : *Owambe thing* Mercy Aigbe looking take away !

Shocking ! Suspected church guard nabbed with human parts

The Anambra State Police Command have arrested a man suspected to be a security guard with the Nnewi Diocese of the Anglican Church for being in possession of human parts.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Sam Okaula, disclosed this to Southern City News on the telephone on Saturday.

Okaula, who said he could not give the suspect’s name, described him as a cannibal.

He, however, said there was no evidence yet suggestive that the suspect was a human parts seller.

The police commissioner said, “He is with us. Some human parts were found in his possession; and I think he is just a cannibal.”

When contacted, Venerable Godwin Agba, the administrative secretary of the Diocese of Nnewi Anglican Communion, owners of the higher institution the suspect allegedly worked as a guard, said the suspect was never their employee.

Dogs on a hunting expedition sniffed out the alleged human parts’ seller at Ukunu Eziora Ozubulu community in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state.

But a source said the suspect was engaged as a security guard with the Nnewi Anglican Diocese at its proposed university site at Ozubulu.

The suspect allegedly used the facility for sale and supply of human parts to eaters and ritualists.

The source said the bubble bust when dogs on a hunting expedition ahead of the hunters returned to them and started exhibiting unusual behaviour.

The source said, “An eyewitness said the suspect, whose name was not given, was seen by hunters, who had no premonition that a human killer was in the bush.

“The hunters were in the bush with their two dogs, which went ahead of them, only to come back to inform their owners with signs they interpreted to mean that there was an unusual discovery.

"when the hunters followed the dogs to a particular point in the bush, they were startled to see fresh dismembered human body," including the legs, hands and as well as clothes suspected to belong to victims.

“The hunters, including two persons identified as Paul and Chimezie, were said to have rushed back home to contact members of Ozubulu vigilance group, who immediately followed them to the spot in the bush, but could not see those human parts any more.

“After a long search, a man was seen in the bush, who happened to be a security man working at a higher institution under construction.

“He was confronted by a combined team of the hunters and vigilantes, who arrested him in connection with the discovery.”

He was overpowered and he led them to a river bank, where he hid the human parts.

It was learnt that he roasted the human parts for his customers who would drive into the forest at wee hours to purchase both for rituals and for eating.

The remains of the victims found with the suspect had been deposited at a mortuary.

Deadly Robbers Chop Off Man's Hand

A man has suffered a cruel fate in the hands of armed robbers who attacked and cut off him hand for not having money at home.

The dare-devil robbers vented their anger on him by shooting at his hands and it fell off after they were unable to get any money from her.

“So you don’t have anything and you are showing off. You suffered us all this while we trailed you only to find nothing in your house,” the robbers angrily said while attacking him.

The incident happened at Victory Estate in Ejigbo, Lagos where the victim resides with his family. The victim identified as Cyril (surname withheld) went to a vigil and was returning in the early morning, unknown to him the robbers were trailing him to his house.

As he entered the compound, he was accosted and taken to his flat where they searched everywhere in the rooms and they did not find any useful thing to steal.

According to the victim, he pleaded to them that he was facing financial challenge and had been praying for turn around for the better. In anger, one of the robbers pointed a gun at him and shot at his hand which fell off. They told him that was his punishment for not keeping anything in the house before they left him in pool of blood.

As the victim bled profusely, he was rushed to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, where doctors battled to save his life.

The matter was reported to police. The incident has thrown residents into panic, especially this new antic of the robbers in the area to inflict such inhuman treatment on their victims.

Residents who spoke to PM Express, said robbers have taken over Ejigbo and its environs lately, and the police seem not to have any solution on how to protect their lives and properties.

A police source said the police have commenced investigation on how to arrest those bandits.

Armed Robbers Disguise As Policemen, Snatch Car In Abuja

Four armed robbers have snatched a Toyota Corolla car belonging to an Information Technology worker, Adetoun Fashanu, along Dutse bus-stop, Kubwa-Zuba Expressway, Abuja.

The robbers who disguised as policemen hijacked the car from Fashanu who was on his way back from his office around 2am on Saturday.

Sadly,.the blue Toyota Corolla car was stolen barely 48 hours after he bought it.

Fashanu explained that he had just dropped off his colleague at Dutse and connected to the service lane when he saw four men at a roadblock.

He said, “When they stopped me, I thought they were SARS officers because they were armed with AK-47 rifles. They asked for my documents and one asked me to come down from the car.

“One of them entered the car and pretended to be searching it, while another one asked me to open the boot which I did. It was when he asked me to cooperate with them that it dawned on me that they were robbers. They entered the car and drove away.”

The IT worker said he lost consciousness after the car was driven away, adding that he woke in the morning to find himself lying along the road.

“I can’t say whether I was injected by the robbers or not; I just found myself there on the ground in the morning and I later felt pains around my neck,” he stated.

Fashanu said he had reported the theft at Kubwa police station and appealed to anyone with useful information that could lead to the recovery of the car to report to the nearest police station.

Man wanted for spraying acid on London clubbers

© Google Maps Mangle E8 nightclub in London Fields

An attacker who Police say sprayed acid into a crowd of clubbers at the East London nightclub leaving two people seriously wounded is being wanted. 

The terrible incident took place in London Fields, east London where around 600 clubbers were evacuated.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon, the Met said the "acidic" substance, which has yet to be identified, was used following a dispute between two groups of people inside the venue.

 It resulted in a "noxious substance being sprayed by a male suspect directly at" two victims.

"Other people inside the venue suffered the effects of the substance," the statement added. The two victims, both men aged in their 20s, are in a serious but stable condition in hospital. 

 An eye witness said: "Scary scenes in Hackney tonight, we have heard reports of chemical burns of people in the building here."

People with any information is being urged to contact detectives from Hackney CID using the non-emergency 101 police number. To remain anonymous, call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Delta Speaker's Hatchet Man, Four Others Arrested During Gun Duel In Sapele

The Delta State House of Assembly speaker’s hatchet man, Sunday Okoro, has reportedly been arrested alongside four fellow gang members after engaging officers of the Nigerian Army 19 Battalion, Koko in a gun battle in Sapele.

Our correspondent reported that the shootout took place at a hotel on Shell Road in Sapele, Delta State.

Mr. Okoro, also known as “G1,” has become notorious for terrorizing Sapele and its environs. He was arrested in June 2016 after firing shots at officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Sapele and has been standing trial for a series of cultism-related crimes before a magistrate court.

Mr. Okoro’s “White Ladder” cult group was allegedly hired by Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Monday Igbuya to incite violence during the 2015 general elections.

Confiding in SaharaReporters, one of the Army officers involved in the arrest of Mr. Okoro said the gang leader has been on many security agencies’ wanted and watch lists following his involvement in crimes ranging from kidnapping to murder.

"Other gang members arrested alongside Mr. Okoro are one Mr. Dadagweye, Mr. Jonathan Agbajaja (also known as Niteman), who sustained bullet injury, and Mr. Edafe Akpoisi, personal assistant to the gang leader and his hotel manager,” the source said. The identity of the fourth gang member arrested alongside Mr. Okoro was not disclosed.

He added that officers recovered rifles from Mr. Okoro and his cohorts and handed the suspects over to the Delta State police.

The source also revealed to SaharaReporters that the Delta State speaker has pressured police to release Mr. Okoro and the other suspects, who are being held at the Delta State police headquarters in Asaba for interrogation.

“Due to pressures from the speaker, who is using one of the contractors who supplies military personnel food under SEPLAT Nigeria Oil Company as a front, has spoken to our boss, the brigade commander in Benin City, Edo State to give the suspects a soft landing,” he explained. “Following the intervention from the speaker and his front, the rifles recovered from the gang leader were not handed over to the police for further investigation, but rather they compromised the process by replacing them with locally made guns to lighten the gravity of the offense.

“My colleagues in 19 Battalion, Koko didn’t do a thorough investigation before transferring the case to the 4th Brigade command in Benin City due to pressure. The suspects were subsequently transferred to the police headquarters Asaba, Delta State. But before the suspects were handed over to the police, their initial statements were torn and changed in their favor before they were handed over to the police force,” the Army source said.

A family member of the one of the arrested suspects confirmed the arrests to our correspondent. The source disclosed that Mr. Igbuya told the families of the suspects that he would give them money to pay for their bails.

Contacted on the issue, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) DSP Andrew Aniamaka asked our reporter to send him a text message, which went unanswered. However, a police officer in the office of the PPRO who spoke anonymously confirmed the story, adding that the command is under serious pressure to release the suspects. - SR

Monday Igbuya, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assemblynewsverge

Man Sells Six-Year-Old Girl For N200,000

A suspected child thief, Chibueze Nwaozuzu, has been arrested by the Imo State Police Command for allegedly stealing a six-year-old girl and selling her for N200,000.

The victim, Chinecherem Anoruo, had been declared missing by the parents, who reported the case to the police. In the course of investigation, it was discovered that Nwaozuzu allegedly stole the child and sold her to one Comfort Umunnakwe.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, said the command recovered N83,000 from Nwaozuzu, adding that the six-year-old had been reunited with the parents.

He said, “We received a report of a missing six-year-old child, Chinecherem Anoruo.During investigation, Nwaozuzu was arrested for his alleged involvement in the crime.

“The suspect made useful statements to the police. He stated that he stole the child and sold her to one Comfort Umunnakwe for N200,000. Comfort was arrested and the stolen child recovered. The sum of N83,000, being part of the proceeds of the sale of the child, was also recovered from Nwaozuzu.”

Ezike said aside the suspects, the command arrested 10 others for alleged kidnapping, 12 for armed robbery, two for cult activities, three for impersonation and five for theft.

He explained that five kidnapped victims were rescued by his men, who also recovered four vehicles, three tricycles, three AK-47 rifles, two American pistols, two locally-made pistols and some ammunition.

He said, “Following the kidnap of one Rev. Ochemba Chibuzo on his way back from his building site along Avu Layout, Port Harcourt Road by four armed men on March 29, 2017, some suspects were arrested by operatives of the command on April 1, 2017 for their involvement in the alleged kidnap.

 The victim was rescued unhurt. Investigation is ongoing and efforts are being made to apprehend two other fleeing members of the gang.

“Following the kidnap of one 33-year-old Chris Ohuruzor, and one ASP Christopher Obi, attached to the Orlu Police Division on March 26, 2017 by one of the most notorious kidnap kingpins, operatives of the command swung into action and trailed the suspect – Godstime Okorafor– to his hideout on Ogbosisi Owerri/Onitsha Road, Anambra State, where he was arrested. The suspect later died in the hospital.

“He, however, made useful statements to the police before his death, confessing to have carried out a series of kidnap within the state and its suburbs. The suspect also disclosed details of other members of his gang, who are still at large. Efforts are being made to track them.”

He said the command planned to put more policemen on the streets, adding that illegally deployed police aides would be withdrawn, while those working in offices would be reduced by 40 per cent.

Abuja Airport Runway, Terminal Building Ready Today —FAAN

The runway and terminal building of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will be ready today (Monday), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has said.

According to FAAN, the airport will be ready two days before the April 19 scheduled date announced by the Federal Government for the reopening of the terminal to air traffic.

The Abuja airport was shut on March 8 for six weeks in order to allow Julius Berger to reconstruct its runway and taxiways. During the period of its closure, the contractor carried out rehabilitation work on its terminals.

The Managing Director, FAAN, Mr. Saleh Dunoma, was quoted in a statement by the agency’s consultant on Sunday, as saying “We will be ready by Monday, April 17, but we are leaving the remaining two days for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority because it has to certify the airport that what we have done is in accordance with its standards.

“If they (NCAA’s officials) do that, we will bring in the traffic. But if they do not, we have the opportunity of making corrections within the two days we have saved.”

On the reopening of the runway on April 19, Dunoma said, “No doubt about that, we will open it as scheduled. Just as I have said, we have been working with the NCAA throughout the period; they have been making corrections.

 But for formality, we need to check and make sure that all the necessary corrections meet the requirements of the civil aviation authority.”

He said that the terminal building too would be ready by today (Monday), adding that all faulty items and services at the airport were being fixed.

“We are improving on all the services there and repairing all the items that are bad. It (terminal) will be ready by Monday (April 17). Most of the items there have been completed; we are just trying to clean up,” Dunoma said.

Giving a breakdown of the completed work on the facility, the FAAN boss said, “All the critical items of work are 100 per cent except maybe two items, which of course are the markings and the cleaning. Asphalt work is 100 per cent; markings have reached almost 70 per cent; the airfield lighting system has reached 80 per cent.

“There is additional work, which has nothing to do with this repair but we are seizing the opportunity of the closure of the airport to do. This has to do with the APEX — (Airport Excellence in Safety) related items. We are now levelling all the airfield lightings’ locations, all the installations and flash with the ground surface. In case of any skidding, there will not be concrete projection above the ground surface.”

Dunoma said the authority had not tampered with the calibration of navigational aids but only worked on the runway.

He added, “What we tampered with are the airfield lightings, and the airfield lightings are being returned to the same position. The runway does not need calibration. All we need to check is to make sure there is 100 per cent illumination. Calibration is done periodically. When the time comes for calibration, the appropriate authority will calibrate the Instrument Landing System.”

Meanwhile, the Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, has said that the runway of the airport is 99 per cent complete.

Usman, in the statement, disclosed this after the agency had carried out an audit on the runway, saying “Today, the NCAA along with the airport owner, FAAN, conducted an inspection. We were able to see that the job has been done well up to at least 99 per cent completion. We believe the remaining work will be completed on or before the official opening date.”

He said the non-safety critical components that should be corrected, which were observed by the NCAA at the runway, would not stop the reopening of the airport.

Usman said, “The findings have been communicated to the owner of the airport, FAAN. We are expecting a corrective action plan that will come with timelines that will address those issues. But as I mentioned earlier, those items that we found are not safety critical and cannot affect the opening. The job has been well done. The technology employed is the latest and we believe Nigerians will be happy.”

An official of Julius Berger, who was part of the inspection, Dr. Lars Richter, said the newly completed runway would last for 10 years.

“The runway is of the highest quality. We can say for the next 10 years, it will remain there, of course, with good maintenance,” he said.