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NAPTIP Rescues Three Babies Rented For Begging In Abuja

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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons on Wednesday said it had rescued three babies who were allegedly rented out by their mothers for alms begging in return for N3,000 daily per child.

NAPTIP’s Rapid Response Unit rescued the babies aged between seven and nine months, after intercepting their traffickers at busy spots around the Nyanya area of Abuja.

According to a statement signed by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, the Director-General of the agency, Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, disclosed this in Abuja while addressing stakeholders about its efforts in tackling some emerging trends of human trafficking and other associated crimes nationwide.

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The statement is titled, ‘NAPTIP alerts on recurring form of trafficking for begging, commits to prosecuting parents found culpable’

READ ALSO: NAPTIP Arrests 6 Over Alleged Baby Factory In Edo

NAPTIP also alerted the FCT residents to the new trend adding that it was now hunting for the syndicate involved.

Waziri-Azi revealed that during a routine undercover operation by NAPTIP’s RRU around the Abuja – Nyanya corridors, the operatives “intercepted the syndicate and promptly rescued three children all under the age of one that were allegedly rented out by their mothers to the traffickers to beg for alms at one of the busy spots in the Nyanya area for N3,000 a day for each child rented out.

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“These suspected trafficking syndicate specialised in collecting babies with the connivance of other members of the gang, hire out these innocent children and position them at the roadsides at busy intersections and bus stops, where they use them for alms begging.

“They will detail another older child to watch over the children as they move them from one point to another and also to ensure that the proceeds of the begging were collected at intervals.

“These infants are exposed to harsh weather conditions on a daily basis in a dusty and dirty environment even in the face of vehicular movement and other forms of abuse without proper feeding,” she explained.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Court Grants INEC Request To Reconfigure BVAS

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She added that the ugly development was one of the highest forms of cruelty as these children were made to face life-threatening situations daily.

The DG warned that all those involved including parents who gave out their children for unclear purposes shall be identified and prosecuted.

She said NAPTIP had also commenced discussions with the relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to increase vigilance within the identified black spots noted for street begging around the FCT.
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Okuama/Okoloba Impasse: Women Protest In Black Attire, Raise Issues [PHOTOS]

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The protesting women of Okoloba community

Protesters who are majorly women from Okoloba community, Delta State, on Saturday, May 18, 2024, took to the street to protest what they called the return of armed youths of Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.

INFO DAILY reports that Okoloba community in Bomadi Local Government Area and Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, all in Delta State have been at loggerhead over land dispute and others.

The protesting Okoloba women in black attire staged the peaceful protest along the coastal fringe of Koloba community, chanting against violence and bloodbath.

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The placard carrying women, led by the chairlady of Okoloba Community, Mrs Timipakebi Goodwin, and secretary, Mrs Mary Koibi, alleged that the armed youths of Okuama were threatening the peace of the riverine area.

Some of the protesting Women

READ ALSO: Delta Bloodbath: Relief As Army Withdraws Soldiers From Okuama Community

Some inscriptions on the placards read: ‘We say no to violence’; ‘enough of the killings on our land;’ ‘armed Okuama youths returning in a commando style;’ ‘we say no to the return of armed youths of Okuama;’ ‘resettle Okuama people among their Ewu brothers in Ughelli South LGA;’ ‘we mourn the killing of the 17 soldiers,’ among others.’

Reading a letter to newsmen, a copy of each she said was submitted to the police, DSS, NSCDC, JTF as well as the acting chairman of Bomadi Local local Government Council, Mrs Goodwin noted that the latest killing by the youths of Okuama showed that they could kill human beings at the slightest provocation.

The letter which contained an S.O.S. to the Federal Government, further reads: “First, we the women of Okoloba Community sympathize with the killing of 17 soldiers and officers of the Nigerian army on peace and rescue mission to Okuama, following the kidnap of our son. We sincerely mourn their untimely death and pray for the repose of their souls. We also pray for their families.

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The protesting women

“However, less than 24 hours after the exit of the troops from Okuama, a fresh crisis erupted with another neighbouring community, culminating in the killing of one person while three other persons were seriously injured. The person who was killed and those sustaining machete wounds were alleged to have gone there to loot.

READ ALSO: One Killed, 3 Wounded As Communal Crisis Rocks Okuama After Withdrawal Of Soldiers

“The latest killing showed that the people of Okuama can kill a human at the slightest provocation; the sanctity of human life means nothing to them. It also shows that neighbouring Ijaw communities like Okoloba are not safe.

“So, resetting the people of Okuama in their present location, which is in-between communities in Bomadi Local Government Area, is an attempt to encourage further communal clashes and bloodbaths.

“Just last week, youths of Okuama Community came out of the Mein-toruabubor creek, which leads to Ewu, on three speedboats and all of them on camouflage. They shot sporadically in the air before proceeding to OKuama. They moved to and fro the creek three times, and at every time they shot their guns in the air at the entrance of the creek.

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“We are calling on the federal government to come to our aid, and the panacea to these incessant clashes and killings is for the government to relocate Okuama to Ewu clan in Ughelli South Local Government Area, where they truly and rightly belong.

“Resettling them among their own people in Ewu clan of Urhobo land will foster mutual trust among themselves as they are of the same ancestry and speak the same dialect”.

 

 

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

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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.

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READ ALSO: JUST IN: Tinubu Appoints Governing Board Members For 111 Tertiary Institutions

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.

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Court Jails Social Media Influencer For Celebrity Scam

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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.

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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.

READ ALSO: Mother Of Five Jailed For Forging Late Abba Kyari’s Signature

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′.

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

READ ALSO: Disregard Claim Of Me Bringing Investors To Nigeria – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

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.”

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