Metro

Family Fights Dirty Over Bride Price In Delta

Published

1 year ago

May 13, 2023

Editor

A police constabulary and vigilantes in Akwukwu-Igbo, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, have been accused of brutalising their cousin, Uchenna Nmakwe, over N250,000.

City Round gathered that the suspects brutalised the victim at a family meeting and went away with the N250,000 bride price brought to them by their in-law.

Narrating his ordeal on Thursday, Uchenna alleged that his cousins used a cutlass and a hammer to beat him up over the money.

He said, “Our in-law said they don’t want a ceremony for the marriage which was held on May 7, 2023. The N250,000 they brought was paid into our elder’s brother account, so we could not share it that day.

“I was brutally attacked around 6pm in my grandfather’s house by my own cousins, Anthony Nmakwe, Ezindu Nmakwe, and Chinedu Nmakwe.

“They mercilessly assaulted me using a cutlass, hammer, and a pump-action gun. They used the hammer to hit my father’s mouth.

“Anthony is the vigilante chairman of Akwukwu-Igbo; Chinedu is a constabulary with the police, and Ezeidu serves as a vigilante within the Akwukwu-Igbo community. The police have refused to arrest them.”

A human rights activist, Mr Victor Ojei, petitioned the state Commissioner of Police over the incident, accusing the suspects of attempted murder and abuse of office.

In the petition, Ojei urged the police to bring the suspects to book.

The petition noted that the incident was not an isolated case as a previous marriage in the family also led to Anthony allegedly biting Uchenna on his back.

Anthony, who spoke to The PUNCH on the phone, said the injuries on Uchenna were a result of the fight over the “N250,000 marriage fee”.

He noted that “bamboo was used to hit him for insulting his elder brother at the meeting.”

The state police spokesman, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, adding that the case had been transferred to the police headquarters.

He said, “We have not arrested the suspects; the Area Command, Asaba, arrested his brothers and could not keep them, so they were released. But the case has been transferred to the headquarters.”

Metro

NSCDC Busts Major Bunkering Operation In Rivers, Arrests Three

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2024

Editor

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps said its operatives busted and dismantled a massive illegal refinery site and arrested three suspects in the Odagwa community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The security outfit said the operation which lasted for several hours, led to a site in the forest where the illegal siphoning of crude oil was taking place after the criminals destroyed the manifold of a multinational oil company.

The NSCDC Commandant, Rivers State Command, Basil Igwebueze disclosed this while speaking to newsmen at the scene in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Monday.

Igwebueze, who was represented by the corps’ spokesperson in the state, SP Olufemi Ayodele, said the operation was conducted by the Special Intelligence Squad codenamed ‘SIS’ of the NSCDC Commandant-General, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar.

He said the CG emphasised the need to step up the operational and intelligence mechanism in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure across the country.

He equally noted that Abubakar has an unwavering determination in waging continuous war against illegal dealings in petroleum products, oil theft, vandalism of oil pipelines, and all forms of economic sabotage, saying, “Within a very short period, the CG’s SIS has dismantled over 350 illegal bunkering sites in the Niger Delta area while hundreds of suspects have been arrested and prosecuted in the court of competent jurisdiction.”

He stated that “today, the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad swung into action and arrested three suspects while others took to their heels, manoeuvring the forest due to the terrain.”

He narrated how a large multinational’s manifold was invaded through a broken fence, and large industrial hoses were used to siphon crude oil and transmitted through numerous metal galvanised pipes to cooking pots and further stored in reservoirs for onward loading to would-be buyers. The massive illegal bunkering site was dismantled.

“Having walked through this thick forest, you have practically seen how the manifold and oil wellhead was vandalised by unscrupulous elements.

“They tapped into the source and buried the hoses and pipes underground, waiting for the multinationals to pump the crude. Immediately the pumping starts, they commence their nefarious operations through illegal local refining of crude to derive Automotive Gas Oil, DPK, and other products,” the state commandant said.

While answering questions on the reason for the continuous rebuilding of some illegal bunkering sites after being dismantled by security agencies, he said that the fight against illegal bunkering is a strategic war that must be fought with a collective will and consciousness, especially with the fact that such acts cause environmental degradation, pollination, and health hazard.

“To eradicate black soot, the locals and all stakeholders must come to terms to say no to the operation of illegal local refineries and other activities which cause more harm to the people and the environment as well.

“On this note, I wish to reiterate the words of the NSCDC boss that the fight against oil theft, vandalism, and illegal dealings in petroleum products is non-negotiable as the NSCDC is fully committed to its statutory mandate of safeguarding all critical national assets and infrastructure.

“We will do this relentlessly and without compromise,” Igwebueze added.

Metro

Court Sentences 29-year-old To Death By Hanging

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2024

Editor

An Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division has sentenced 29-year-old Adedayo Olawole to death by hanging for the murder of one Chukwudi Joseph.

The court on Monday also sentenced him to seven years imprisonment for conspiracy in the murder of the deceased person.

He was arraigned on 29th March 2023 on two-count charges bordering on conspiracy and murder.

The charge read, “That Adedayo Olawole and others now at large at Eporo in Emure Ekiti did conspire to murder one Chukwudi Joseph.

“The offences are contrary to Sections 244 and 243 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State Nigeria, 2021.”

One of the eyewitnesses, a cousin to the deceased, in his testimony before the court, said that he saw the defendant and some other boys hit the deceased with planks and later one of the defendant’s gang stabbed him in the left side of his chest, he fell and died before some people could get there for the rescue.

The prosecutor, Ibironke Odetola, called six witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statements, pictures of the deceased and other supporting documents as exhibits.

The defendant spoke in his defence through his lawyer, M.A. Daramola, and called one witness.

In the judgment, Justice Jubril Aladejana said that assaulting the deceased with planks before being stabbed in the left part of his chest showed that the assailants intended to cause him grievous, bodily harm or his death.

The judge, who said that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant and others at large conspired to commit the felony of murder at Eporo Ekiti on December 10, 2021, said, “Consequently, the sole issue for determination is resolved in favour of the prosecution.

“On count one (Conspiracy), the defendant is sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine;

“On Count two (Murder), the sentence of this court upon Adedayo Olawole is that you shall be hanged by the neck until you be dead, may God have mercy on your soul,” the judge declared.

In March 2024, an Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, sentenced a 28-year-old man, Ayodeji Alomoge, to death by hanging for killing a man having affairs with his wife.

Metro

UPDATED: Two Die, Others Arrested In okada Riders’ Attack On Lagos Police Station

Published

1 day ago

May 27, 2024

Editor

The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed that two individuals were fatally injured and some others arrested during an attack by motorcycle riders on its Ipaja Division on Monday.

Panic had earlier ensued in a section of Lagos State when more than 100 hoodlums stormed the Ipaja Police Station.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, revealed in a statement that the attack stemmed from the enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycles in the state.

He also revealed that over 200 motorcycles were impounded and one locally made firearm retrieved from the attackers.

He wrote, “Officers of Ipaja Police Division have successfully repelled an early morning attack on their division by motorcycle operators.

“The attack came after police officers commenced the day’s enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycles in Lagos State.

“The attackers, who came in their hundreds, stormed the station with dangerous weapons, shooting at the officers and attempting to overrun the station.”

Hundeyin further disclosed that officers at the division defended themselves until reinforcements from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad arrived.

He added, “While officers and men of the division held their ground, reinforcement came from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad. Two of the attackers were fatally injured during the attack.

“However, this did not deter the officers from accomplishing their mandate, as over two hundred motorcycles were impounded and some of the attackers arrested, with one locally made firearm retrieved.”

He also emphasised that the command “will not be cowed into abdicating its responsibilities of enforcement of all duly passed laws and maintenance of law and order within the society.”