COURT REMANDS 60 YEARS OLD MAN FOR IMPERSONATION

A 60-year-old man, Kolawole Alamutu, who allegedly impersonated a lawyer, on Monday appeared before an Ojokoro Magistrates' Court in Lagos. The defendant, who resides at No. 1B, Jibowu Estate, Abule-Egba, is facing a two-count charge. According to the Prosecutor, Clara Olagbaiye, the defendant falsely presented himself as a barrister at the New Oko-Oba Police Station in Lagos State, at 5:30p.m. on Feb. 8. "Alamutu had gone to the police station to represent one Mrs Funmi Tijani, who was invited for questioning. "When he was giving a statement, he addressed himself as a barrister, saying that he was called to bar in 1975," she said. According to Olagbaiye, policemen noticed some irregularities in his statement and asked him to produce his call to bar certificate but he could not. She said that the offences contravened Sections 77 and 318 of the Criminal Code of Lagos State. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty, and was granted bail by the Magistrate, Mrs A.O. Olayinka, in the sum of N150,000 with two sureties in like sum. The case was adjourned till March. 5 for mention.

COURT REMANDS TWO FOR MURDER

MAGISTRATE’S Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos Monday remanded two young men, Dare Adekunle and Ismaila Bankole, in prison custody for allegedly killing one 16-year-old Ikechukwu Ijeoma during a robbery operation. The duo and others now at large, were charged on a one-count charge bordering on robbery and murder brought against them by the Nigeria Police. The Police Prosecutor, Chinalu Uwadime, said Adekunle and Bankole conspired together to commit felony and armed robbery at No 1, Tinomi Street, Ipaja area of Lagos. Uwadime told the court that the defendants and others committed the offence on January 14, 2013. Adekunle and Bankole were said to be armed with pistol and locally -made long barrel gun, with which they robbed one Boniface Ijeoma of N20,000 and also shot and killed a 16-year-old boy, Ikechukwu Ijeoma. According to the prosecutor, he said the offence committed “is contrary and punishable under section 5(a) of Robbery and Firearms Special Provisions Act, Cap 398, Vol. XXii 1(2)(a)(b) laws of the federation 2003 as amended.” However, their plea could not be taken due to the nature of the charge. Magistrate S. A. Akinde ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody, pending the Directorate of the Public Prosecutor’s (DPP) advice. She adjourned the matter till March 11, 2013, for DPP’s advice.

TECHNOLOGY FOR ARMY

THE new Commander, Corps of Engineers of Nigerian Army Engineers (NAE), Maj. Gen. Funsho Owonibi has promised innovations and technology- driven acts in the corps, which would aid in repositioning itself to confront the challenges of the future and also contribute to national development. Speaking at the handing and taking over ceremony at the Headquarters, Nigerian Army Engineers, Bonny Cantonment, Victoria Island, Lagos, Owonibi said that innovative spirit and the spirit of enquiry would be strengthened under his command. According to him, “No organization can make meaningful progress in this knowledge-driven world without utilizing modern technology. “The corps will in the next era have to embrace technology, promote research and development and encourage innovation. “The pursuit of research and development will also deliver usable products that will contribute to knowledge and industry.” Continuing, he said: “We must, therefore, strengthen the capacity of personnel through requisite knowledge and competencies, adopting global best practices in project execution, adapt technology while exploring the fertile minds of all sappers to contribute to national development. “With this approach, the NAE will reaffirm its leadership position as a professional corps and reposition itself to confront the challenges of the future.’ According to him, “the human resource remains the main key to achieving organizational goals. In this regard, the Corps will continue to build and develop the skills and core competencies of our personnel through comprehensive training and re-training as well as operational experience. “To this end,” he continued, there would be an introduction of new courses and review of the curriculum of existing courses. There will also be opportunity for sappers to have placement for industrial attachment training. The idea will be to have NAE adequately acquire new artisan skills required in the industry thus improving our capacity to handle diverse projects. GUARDIAN

WIDOW CRIES FOR JUSTICE

I WANT my husband’s killers to be apprehended and punished because he didn’t deserve to be gruesomely murdered like that”. With tears flowing freely from her eyes, the widow of the cocoa farmer that was murdered by yet to be identified gunmen in Ilawe-Ekiti, Mrs. Funke Eniafe, has appealed to the state government and the police to unravel the circumstances surrounding the murder of her husband, Ropo, in his farm at the weekend. The cocoa farmer was reportedly killed by suspected gunmen. While some people think he was allegedly killed by the Fulani herdsmen, his brother thinks otherwise. . Mr. Eniafe, 51, was said to have gone to his farm last Friday with the promise to his family that he would not stay long. But when his wife did not see him till evening she raised an alarm and the community quickly set up a search team who later found him dead in the pool of his blood in his farm. While many in the community suspected that he might have been killed by the Fulani herdsmen, his younger brother, Boluwaji Eniafe, who spoke to The Guardian yesterday, lamented that his brother, who left behind four kids and a wife, might have been killed by some armed robbers, who had been terrorising the community in the last few weeks. According to him, “he must have run into the armed robbers, who were escaping after robbing. They must have killed him based on assumption that he must have seen them.” He said that his brother never had any dispute with anybody before the ugly incident, adding that no part of his body was missing when they discovered his corpse. He alleged that some Fulani herdsmen had in recent times been unleashing havoc on the community, dispossessing them of their money and belongings and would later escape to the bush. He appealed to the government to find his brother’s killers and also put a permanent stop to the menace of robbery. Meanwhile, there was a tension in the community as many stayed in-doors because of reprisal attacks from the youths that were accusing the Fulanis of the murder. When The Guardian visited the community on Monday, primary and secondary schools hurriedly closed and asked their students to go home while businesses and commercial activities were grounded as shops were closed. GUARDIAN

FAMILY PETITIONS IGP OVER SON'S MURDER

WHEN the 25- year-old Accountancy graduate of the University of Nigeria (UNN), who was also a native of Obosi in Idemili North Local Council of Anambra State, offered to drop off his mother, Blessing Anekwu, in her office on December 5, 2012, little did he know he would meet his waterloo. Obiese Anekwu did not know that despite being a recent guest at the Criminal Investigation Department of the state Police command, where he was detained and later released on bail, he was still under watch. So, a few metres away from their Ireh village, Obosi home, on their way to Nkpor Junction, he was shot dead, his mother seriously wounded, while their vehicle, a Toyota RAV 4 (SUV), was riddled with bullets. His heartbroken father, Ikechukwu Anekwu, admitted he initially thought it was the handiwork of kidnappers or hired killers. But a few days after searching for him, he was told he was in the custody of the SSS in Awka. He also admitted that an encounter with the state Director of the SSS, Mr. Alex Okeiyi, unfortunately confirmed his worst fears that his son died during the Nkpor encounter. A bitter Anekwu then went to take care of his equally fatally injured wife. Narrating his pains to journalists who sought to know what really happened, Anekwu said his residence was a few weeks earlier invaded around 2.00a.m. by some men, who had asked him to produce his son, or they would pull down the house. “That though very agitated, he managed to tell them that his son was not at home and that he did not know where he was. “He was also informed that a certain high calibre Ak47 assault rifle was ‘captured’ during a recent communal clash between Obosi and Nkpor communities, which was allegedly under the custody of his son, Obiesie. “That after several failed demands and representations to him to hand it over, it had become imperative to recover it by force. The father said he denied being aware of the issue but promised to intervene. The officers left, but promised to return. Anekwu confirmed that consequently, he visited the Obosi traditional ruler, Igwe Chidubem Iweka (III) where he narrated his encounter and his discussion with the officers. GUARDIAN Following series of petitions before and after the death of his son, dated Nov 12, 2012 and Dec 13, 2012 to the Inspector General of Police, by Mr. Anekwu, the IGP sent a special investigative team from Police Headquarters to interrogate suspects including SSS men and the monarch. But Okeiyi told reporters that the late Anekwu was a notorious gangster and bandit who had been on the watch list of security agencies in the state, “until he fell to the superior of my men…” In his reaction, Igwe Iweka confirmed the visit of Anekwu, but was quick to point out he told him to impress on his son to hand over the rifle to law enforcement agents. That he was out to rid the community of bad eggs. More so, that the young man’s name had allegedly been linked to a series of anti-social acts including rape, snatching of bags/handsets, kidnap, murder and armed robbery. That he appealed to the father who incidentally is one of his relations to ensure he was handed in. The monarch also linked the continued criminal activities in the community to the presence of regrouping of the disbanded members of the Adike Peace Foundation (APF), a notorious gang underground group, which comprises meat sellers, bus-conductors, okada riders and other jobless youths in the community in their large numbers. Iweka thanked Gov Peter Obi immensely for outlawing the group. He called on all peace-loving citizens to join hands with him to rebuild the community to its hitherto enviable position, that according to him, was the pride of all. Anekwu told reporters that he would continue the struggle for justice for his son until someone listens and something was done. That he has taken the battle to the National Assembly. Police sources disclosed that the investigation had been concluded and the special team from the Force Headquarters had gone back with their findings and would be made public soon. Next >

Abiriba: Kidnappers’ new London From: OKEY SAMPSON, Aba Until soldiers were deployed to Abia state on September 30, 2010, Aba, the commercial hub of the state was the den of kidnappers. The city became the unofficial headquarters of kidnapping because a dreaded kidnap kingpin at the time, Obioma Nwankwo a.k.a Osisikankwu, hailed from and operated in the zone. Travelling to Aba was like going to Golgotha while Osisikankwu reigned because apart from the spate of kidnapping, women were raped in most the brazen manner and in many cases, in the presence of family members. Somehow, the state government seemed helpless. Thanks to the arrival of soldiers, Aba now enjoys relative peace. But unfortunately, Abiriba community in Ohafia Local Government Area of the state has acquired the ugly tag dumped by Aba. Suspected kidnappers dislodged from the commercial city appear to have found a new haven in the community popularly known in the state as “small London.” In the past few months, no fewer than 10 persons had either been killed or abducted by the rampaging kidnappers. In a particular case, a 79-year-old woman, Mrs Martha Oyediya Kalu of Ndi Okocha Ogbu, Amaogudu, who was kidnapped in August 2012, was yet to be set free as at the time of this report and five months after her son paid ransom to her abductors. It is the first time kidnappers would renege on their promise to release a victim after relations had paid the demanded ransom in the State. The grandmother was kidnapped from the residence of her son, Kalu Gabriel Eke, at Agba Ogbu, Amaogudu in Abiriba on August 10, 2012 at about 2am by a five-man gang. Due to the heavy iron security protector at the main entrance to the building, it was difficult for the hoodlums to have access to the house. However, the kidnappers reportedly gained entry into the inner rooms when they broke the ceiling from outside, climbed into the old woman’s room and took her away. It was gathered that shortly after the incident, her abductors contacted the septuagenarian’s son who promptly paid the ransom with the hope she would be released immediately as promised by the hoodlums. But five months after the kidnappers confirmed the receipt of the ransom, they neither released the woman nor contacted her family. A similar thing happened somewhere in Obingwa local government area where an elderly woman was kidnapped and after payment of the ransom, she died in the hands of her abductors and her corpse was dumped near a bush path. However, Mrs Kalu’s case is different. Her abductors had collected the ransom but they have refused to set her free – dead or alive. The questions on the lips of many are: Why would the kidnappers not release their victim months after family members had paid the ransom placed on her? Could it be that the amount paid was not enough to secure her release or has the woman died and her body dumped somewhere? Could it be that somebody who has scores to settle with the woman’s son decided to kidnap and put the elderly woman out of circulation without trace? Did the kidnappers decide to kill two birds with one stone – abduct the woman, collect ransom from her relations and kill her for ritual purposes as it is common in that part of the country? So many questions begging for answers! A journalist with an Aba-based cable television and a relation, Mr Oji Ogba who spoke on behalf of the woman’s son, Eke, said the family had suspicions. “From the way the woman was abducted, we suspect there must be an insider in the whole game. Otherwise, why kidnap a 79- year-old woman and still keep her after ransom had been paid? What are they going to do with her? The family did not waste time in paying the amount the kidnappers demanded and the question of whether we paid a paltry sum does not arise because we never paid a dime less than they demanded. “After some days, agreement was reached with the abductors on the ransom to be paid; the relations immediately raised and sent the money in full to the kidnappers. But to the family’s greatest surprise, the abductors refused to release our grandmother. Instead, they switched off all the phones they (kidnappers) used to communicate with us and now, we don’t know the woman’s fate,” he said. Ogba stated that moved by the incident, the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Kalu Ogbu, ordered the youths to search the entire adjoining bushes. That was done, yet no trace of the woman. In the same vein, both the Army and the Police have combed the forests in the area to no avail. This has fueled the family’s fear that the abductors may have killed their mother. In his appeal to the kidnappers, Ogba said: “We (family members) want our grandmother to be released whether dead or alive.” As if these kidnappings including that of the mother of late Chief Dike Udensi (DUBIC) were not enough, the people of the community woke up on the morning of January 6, 2013, to an apparently bad new year gift. They discovered that a prominent son of the area, Prince Iroeke, and two of his security guards had been gruesomely murdered and two of his daughters abducted. It was gathered that the hoodlums numbering about four, stormed Iroeke’s compound in Amamba area of the community, and killed two Bakassi Boys who were his bodyguards before gaining entry into the inner chambers of the house where they shot him dead. Thereafter, they abducted two of his daughters. The girls were later released after spending about five days in the kidnappers’ den but no ransom was paid. Iroeke was reported to have taken part in the last Ime Uche ceremony (retirement from active communal service) of the community held in December before he met his death. Following the incident, a dusk-to- dawn curfew was imposed on the community and the major entrances cordoned off by security personnel while vehicles were not allowed in or out of the community before 6am and after 6pm. Palpable fear now pervades the entire community as some people who went home for the yuletide holiday hurriedly returned to their various bases. The three bodies have since been deposited in a mortuary in the area while police investigations are in progress. It was reported that some suspects including relations of the deceased have been arrested in connection with the incident. For now, there are two versions to the attack. Some people suspect that the killers were on a revenge mission while others attribute it to assassination. There was an unconfirmed report that as Iroeke was travelling home for the last Christmas, he engaged the services of two Bakassi boys who went out of their way to arrest some perceived bad boys in the community. Nine of such boys were rounded up and handed over to an unnamed officer of the organization at Umuahia who later released four of them. Sources alleged that the freed boys regrouped and launched the attack, believing that late Iroeke purposely brought in the Bakassi boys to deal with them. There was yet another version that Iroeke might have been a victim of the tussle for the headship of his extended family. When Sunday Sun reporter visited the community, a female relation of the deceased said she could only speak on the issue if their traditional ruler, Eze Ogbu, permitted her to do so. To see if the necessary permission could be obtained, this reporter accompanied the lady to the palace of his royal highness, but the traditional ruler said his subjects would not speak to the press on the issue, which he said was still premature as not to impede police investigation. Some of the natives who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity urged the state government to do something urgently to arrest the security situation in Abiriba. They said it was wrong for the government to boast that Abia was one of the most peaceful states in the country while one of her communities boils. When contacted on telephone, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO) said he was not aware of the incident because he was attending a conference in Abuja. 0 Email Share

Police invasion of Ashipa’s palace: IG orders removal of Oyo CP By AKEEB ALARAPE The Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar has ordered the removal of Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu over last week’s occupation of the palace and ancestral home of Ashipa of Oyo. Daily Sun had exclusively reported last week that 250 policemen, accompanied by two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) stormed the Isale Oyo area of the town and sealed off the palace. Although nobody was arrested, women, children and owners of shops adjoining the palace were chased away by the security men while the personal vehicle of the head of Ashipa family and Alago of Ago-Oja, Chief Ganiyu Busari Ajiboye was taken away by the invading policemen. The IGP was said to have been embarrassed and infuriated by the action of his men, especially when there was no court order for such exercise. Reliable source within Oyo State command confided in Daily Sun yesterday that IG Abubakar immediately ordered the removal of CP Mbu, pending the time the hierarchy would consider what next to be done on his case. “As I am talking to you now, he is yet to be re-posted to any command. His action really embarrassed the IGP,” the source stated. Meanwhile, embattled head of Ashipa family, Alhaji Ganiyu Ajiboye has slammed a N1 billion suit on the IGP for illegal and unwarranted invasion and subsequent occupation of Ashipa palace, where he and his family lived. Joined in the suit were Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dasuki Galadanci; Oyo State Commissioner of Police; Executive Governor of Oyo State and Attorney-General of Oyo State. In the motion on notice, Ajiboye urged the court to order the defendants to pay the ‘sum of N500, 000, 000 as general damages against the respondents severally for psychological trauma and personal inconveniencies including loss of the use of his vehicle and arbitrary and illegal deprivation of his personal effects arising from the infringement of the applicant’s rights.’ He also pleaded with the court to grant an order ‘awarding the sum of N500, 000, 000 as aggravated damages against the respondents severally on account of crude methods adopted by the respondents, their arbitrary conduct, abuse of state powers and unwarranted intimidation.’ Ajiboye also sought the order of the court for the award of the ‘sum of N2, 000, 000 against the respondents severally as cost of damage to the applicant’s vehicle. in the course of forcefully towing the vehicle to Police Area Command, Durbah, Oyo.’ Ajiboye also demanded a public apology for the embarrassment caused him and his family as well as immediate action to unseal the palace. It was gathered yesterday that some police personnel were still sighted within the premises of the Ashipa ancestral home while shops already locked up due to the police invasion were yet to be re-opened.