Metro

Armed Robbers Escape With $11 Million In Ogun

Published

12 months ago

May 26, 2023

Editor

A four-man armed robbery gang on Friday afternoon ‘successfully’ escaped with a whopping sum of $11 million at the Oke-Sokori of Abeokuta, in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The four-man robbery gang, all clad in black T-shirts and jean trousers, wore black facemasks, and brandished riffles in an operation that lasted about 3 minutes.

The suspects, however, escaped the scene with their targeted money, stacked in two ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bags, after demobilizing the car of their victim, a Hausa trader, who rode the area in a Toyota Venza salon car, marked, (ABUJA) ABC 565 GN.

An eyewitness, who was at the robbery scene, observed that the robbery suspects, who operated in a tinted Toyota Camry ‘Muscle’, had at around 4: 35p.m on Friday afternoon, intercepted their victim right in front of the FATGBEMS Petroleum Filling Station at Oke – Sokori, where they forcefully halted the victim’s Toyota Venza car and forced the car’s boot open.

After gaining entry into his car, the suspects thereafter offloaded the two bags containing the foreign currency into their car and also zoomed off with the victim’s car key before security operatives arrived.

Narrating his ordeal to the two police patrol teams that later arrived at the scene about 30 minutes after the robbery incident, the victim, said he was returning to his base after an unsuccessful banking attempt where he had gone to deposit the foreign currency.

In his narration, the Abeokuta-based Hausa trader told the police patrol team that he had earlier approached the Oke-Ilewo branch of a new generation bank for the purpose of depositing the money, but was turned back on the premise that the banking hours had lapsed.

But while returning to his base, the robbers struck and the trader fell victim.

Confirming the incident, the command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, said operatives of the command were already on the trail of the criminals.

“It is quite unfortunate that the suspects had escaped the scene before our operatives arrived at the scene. But I want to assure you that we will definitely get them and bring them to justice.

“The command had immediately upon receipt of information about the incident, sent a signal across the state to ensure that the suspects are tracked down. All our technical units have been activated and for sure, we will get them”.

“I want to use this medium to assure the good people of Ogun State that they should not panic, saying that there is no course for alarm. They should remain calm, and go about their normal and routine businesses because our men will surely track down the suspects”.

Metro

JUST IN: Truck Rams Into BRT On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Published

3 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

A truck has rammed into a Lagos State BRT bus at Ibafo bus-stop along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

The PUNCH correspondent who went to the scene gathered that the accident occurred around some minutes to 6am on Saturday.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Police on response call at the accident scene insisted that only their Public Relations Officers were authorised to speak.

However, unconfirmed reports from onlookers noted that several people on the BRT bus were injured.

Onlookers accounts noted that the BRT was parked loading its passengers at the bus stop before the truck loaded with cows heading to Lagos rammed into it, taking it off the road to destroy shops and kiosks by the roadside.

The cow truck had been towed a little away from the scene so as not to hinder traffic.

Details later

Metro

Court Jails Social Media Influencer For Celebrity Scam

Published

13 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, has sentenced Aluko Tunmise to one year in prison for his involvement in a celebrity scam.

Tunmise was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a cybercrime-related charge.

This was disclosed in a post on X by EFCC on Friday, May 17.

The post reads: “Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, convicted and sentenced one Aluko Tunmise, a self-acclaimed social media influencer and model, to one year imprisonment for celebrity scam.

He was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge bordering on cybercrimes.”

“One of the counts reads: “That you, ALUKO TUNMISE JUWONLO (A.K.A. KEANU REEVES), sometime between January and March, 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, directly made a false statement, wherein you held yourself out as a white man by name “KEANU REEVES” on your Telegram Account, knowing same to be false and with intent that the representation is relied upon for the purpose of procuring the issuance of financial instrument to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015′.

He pleaded ‘guilty’ to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, C.C.Okezie, sought to present an operative of the EFCC, Vincent Sunday Kwambuge, to review the facts of the matter.

Kwanbuge told the court that the defendant was arrested sometime in March, 2024 at Lekki County Estate, Lagos, following credible intelligence received by the Commission on the activities of some internet fraudsters operating in the area.”

Metro

Three Children Rescued As Fire Guts Storey Building In Delta

Published

14 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

Three children have been rescued as fire gutted a-storey building at the Obi Onuorah Crescent back of Okowe plaza in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The PUNCH correspondent who visited the fire scene on Friday, observed that the roof and the two apartments were razed down as property worth millions of naira was damaged.

However, the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filling this report

Speaking, a widow and mother of four children, Mrs Gloria Sado who wept profusely appealed to Nigerians to come to her aid.

She said, “I came back Thursday night around 9 pm when I saw a fire burning in our house.

“My three children were in the house, one went with me to market, thank God, it was a lot of effort for my children to be rescued. I didn’t know the cause of the fire

“All the three fire services that came did not have water to quench the fire, our property was burnt to ashes”

Also, her neighbor, Simon Amalimen, and father of two said, “I was in my apartment when I heard fire, fire, I came out and noticed that the fire was coming out from my neighbor’s apartment.

“When learned that the three children were inside the apartment sleeping, we immediately moved into the fire to rescue the children, then, the fire had to gut my apartment.

“Before we could rescue them, the fire had entered my apartment and my two children and my wife were rescued. Only the boxers I wear are the clothes I came out with.”

He said before the third fire service could arrive, the two apartments and property had been burnt.

The victims were currently homeless as sympathizers were said to have gone to buy some clothes for them.

An official of the state fire service who did not want his name mentioned confirmed the incident.