Twin brothers found dead inside freezer in Anambra

TRAGEDY struck on Friday in Egbu Umuenem village, Otolo Nnewi community in Nnewi North local government area of Anambra state, was a set of twins, named Peter and Paul aged six years were found dead in an abandoned freezer in their apartment.

The deceased boys whose parents, Mr and Mrs Nwachukwu Onwe, an automobile mechanic and trader hailing from an undisclosed village in Ebonyi State were said to have taken home the deceased bodies of the twins on Saturday afternoon after a search party had revealed their bodies hidden in the freezer.

A visit to the community yesterday showed that indigenes of the community were still in shock over the incident.

A resident of the area, who gave his name as Boniface revealed, that the twins were moved by their parents to Ebonyi State where they hail from.

Boniface insisted that residents of the community are not out of their shock since the Friday incident in which the twin brothers were killed mysteriously and stuffed in a refrigerator by unknown persons.

Peter and Paul had been murdered last Friday evening after they returned from school and were ordered by their mother to go home from her shop, a few metres away, change their uniform and return to the shop for lunch.

Sources said their inability to return on time prompted their mother to go home in search of them but failed to find them, thus raising the alarm that led to the constitution of a search party.

The search party lasted until nightfall when the couple, with some neighbours, decided to continue the search at daybreak, and later discovered the bodies of their twins, the next morning, being Saturday in a discarded freezer in their apartment.

It was further gathered from members of the community report that the death of the twin brothers who are said to be very lively boys is still a shock to them.

A leader of the community, Chief Afam Obi Ekosi, Obi Egbu Umuenem, Otolo, who had earlier reacted on Saturday said it was an abomination to witness such a thing in his domain. He noted that an incident like that had never happened in the community before.

He said that the community was thrown into agony by that occurrence as he corroborated the sequence of how the incident occurred as narrated by other sources earlier.

“We are dumbfounded. We heard that the children were pupils of a nursery and primary school around us here. I was surprised how that small freezer contained the twins. It is suspected that they might have been strangled to death before squeezing them inside the small freezer.

“Whoever did that must pay dearly for it because this is to dent my community image. We have never recorded this kind of crime in this community before. The kind of crime we record is housebreaking and all that, not this kind. I’m not happy that this is happening in my community. We have invited the police. If it should be investigated, it is in the hands of the police. If it will not be investigated, it is in the hands of God. And God knows who did it. The perpetrator will not go unpunished,” the Obi said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Police Command, SP Haruna Muhammed who confirmed the incident, has however assured that the police would do its best to unravel the cause of death and also punish the perpetrators of the crime

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DEMOCRACY DAY: President Muhammadu Buhari’s full speech

ADDRESS BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 2018 DEMOCRACY DAY CELEBRATION, TUESDAY, 29TH MAY, 2018

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My Dear Nigerians!

Today marks the 19th year of our nascent democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of this administration. I am thankful to Almighty God for bringing us thus far. This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely; Security, Corruption and the Economy.

 The commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day is a celebration of freedom, a salute to the resilience and determination of Nigerians and a recommitment by Government to keep its promise to lead Nigeria into a new era of justice and prosperity.

 Public safety and security remains the primary duty of this Government. Before this Administration came into being 3 years ago, Boko Haram held large areas of land spanning several Local Governments in the North East.

 Today, the capacity of the insurgents has been degraded leading to the re-establishment of authority of government and the release of captives including, happily, 106 Chibok and 104 Dapchi girls, and over 16,000 other persons held by the Boko Haram.

 In order to minimize the impact of the insurgency on Internally Displaced Persons, Government has established secure IDP Camps and has improved the mechanism for the distribution of basic aid, foods and essential commodities using various strategies in collaboration with local and international Organizations.

 Efforts are in process for resettlement of IDPs in their home communities by providing schools, hospitals, clinics, water, and sanitation to facilitate a quick return to economic activities. Government is similarly implementing de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate sustainable peace and development.

 The unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which have led to high number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers of Government are presently engaged with communities and religious organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

 I want to commend members of the Multinational Joint Task Force drawn from Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and our own country in collaboration with the International Community who are assisting in the fight against insurgency in the North East. I also commend the gallantry of members of our Armed Forces and other security agencies that have continued to provide security for lives and properties across the country. State and Local traditional authorities are helping with much needed intelligence in this fight against insurgency.

 This administration is pained over the grievous loss of lives and properties occasioned by the carnage of insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country. I wish to assure Nigerians that we will not rest until all criminal elements and their sponsors are brought to justice. Government is boosting the capacity of our security agencies through recruitment of more personnel, training and procurement of modern equipment, enhancement of intelligence gathering as well as boosting their morale in the face of daunting challenges.

 The Niger Delta Region has enjoyed relative peace through social inclusiveness and cooperation of the Elders and the good people of the region. Government is committed to implementing the comprehensive peace, security and development plan for the region. The environmental clean-up of the region which commenced with the launch in Bodo, Ogoni in June, 2016 is progressing satisfactorily. Furthermore farming assets are being revived and investors in cocoa and palm oil plantations are showing serious interest.

 The second primary object of this Administration is to fight corruption headlong. Like I have always said, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will destroy the country. Three years into this Administration, Nigerians and the international community have begun to applaud our policies and determination to fight corruption. We are more than ever before determined to win this war, however hard the road is. I therefore appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to support us in this fight.

 Various policy measures already put in place to stem the tide of corrupt practices are yielding remarkable results. Some of these key reform policies include:

a. The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has realized Billions of Naira being saved from maintenance fee payable to banks. N200 Billion has also been saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service.

b. The Whistle-Blowing Policy has helped to recover over N500 Billion;

c. The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit set up with a mandate to validate controls, assess risks, prune personnel costs, ensure compliance with Public Financial Management reforms has helped to identify and remove over 52,000 ghost workers from the Federal Government MDAs Payroll;

d. The Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) aimed at expanding tax education and awareness has offered the opportunity for tax defaulters to regularise their status in order to enjoy the amnesty of forgiveness on overdue interest, penalties and the assurance of non-prosecution or subject to tax investigations.

e. The Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million so as to strengthen its investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East West Road (Section V) and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Power project as well as the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.

 The fight against corruption through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has resulted in recoveries of Billions of Naira, as well as forfeiture of various forms of assets. This alongside other efforts has improved Nigeria’s international image and regional cooperation.

 We have retained the services of one of the world’s leading assets tracing firms to investigate and trace assets globally. This is in addition to the exploitation of provisions of existing Treaties, Conventions as well as Bilateral Agreements with Multilateral bodies and Nations. Nigeria has also signed Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements to ensure that there is no hiding place for fugitives.

 This Administration has therefore focused on revamping the ailing economy it inherited in 2015. In 2016, Government executed an expansionary budget and developed the Strategic Implementation Plan. For the first time, 30% of the budget was earmarked for capital expenditure which represents an upward review when compared with the 2015 budget. The SIP was followed by the development of a comprehensive medium term plan – the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 – 2020.

 The broad strategic objectives of the ERGP were to; Restore and sustain economic growth; Build a globally competitive economy; and Invest in our people. The implementation of the ERGP has started yielding results. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that the economy grew by 1.95% in 1st quarter 2018, which is a good performance when viewed against -0.91 in 1st quarter 2017 and -0.67% in 1st quarter 2016 respectively.

 Our foreign reserve has improved significantly to 47.5 billion USD as of May, 2018 as against 29.6 billion USD in 2015. The inflationary rate has consistently declined every month since January, 2017.

 Recently, Government conducted Focus Labs in three key sectors of the Economy namely, Agriculture & Transport, Manufacturing and Processing as well as Power and Gas. These have yielded significant prospects for investments and Job creation to the tune of US$ 22.5 billion with a potential for creating more than 500,000 jobs by 2020. These investment generation initiatives are expected to increase capital inflows in the form of foreign direct investment. There is a high prospect that the cumulative investments from this first phase of the Labs will hit US$39.2 billion by 2025.

 Under agriculture, Nigeria continues to pursue a strategic food security programme built around self-sufficiency and minimization of import dependency. As a result, rice importation from other countries has been cut down by 90% which has a direct impact on foreign reserves.

 The Social Investment Programmes (SIP) has been created as a means to graduating our citizens from poverty through capacity building, investment and direct support. The major strategic objective is to restore livelihood, economic opportunities and sustenance for the poor across the country. The SIP programmes and projects include:

a. Home Grown School Feeding Programme – About 8.2 million pupils are currently being fed from 24 States of the Federation with over 75,000 Catering Staff engaged under the programme.

b. The Conditional Cash Transfer has so far recorded over 297,000 caregivers and being trained by 2,495 Community Facilitators in 21 states. Less privileged Nigerians are now being paid N5,000 monthly stipend in 9 pilot States of Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo. Eventually the scheme will cover all the 36 states of the federation including the FCT.

c. Under the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme – About 264,269 loans had been disbursed to 4,822 societies in the 36 States and FCT, while another 370,635 are awaiting release of funds.

d. N-Power Job creation Scheme – is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates and has so far recruited 200,000 youths while the next batch of 300,000 have been selected, verified and would soon be deployed across the 36 States and the FCT. Furthermore, 20,000 non-graduate volunteers have also been selected to kick off the N-Build programme in collaboration with the National Automotive Design and Development Council and the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.

 In the area of power generation, Nigerians from all parts of the country continue to report better power supply and less use of generators. This underscores the effectiveness of the methodical plan to deliver incremental and uninterrupted power supply to our homes, markets, offices and factories.

 The country achieved 5, 222.3 MW representing the highest peak of power generated onto the national grid and delivered to customers in December, 2017. With new facilities, repairs and rehabilitations by Government and private investors, generation capability now exceeds 7,500 MW.

 This Administration is committed to lawful interventions to ensure the operators of the distribution business live up to expectations especially in the areas of distribution capacity, service delivery, collection efficiency, and metering to eliminate contentious estimated billing.

 The Transportation Sector continues to undergo a series of reforms in order to sustain the international best practices and ensure safety and security. The nation’s major airports have witnessed reconstruction of runways, installation of navigational equipment and new international terminals due for commissioning in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu. Bilateral Air Services Agreements between Nigeria and the Governments of other countries will significantly open up new flight routes.

 As a result of strict regulatory and compliance policies, Nigeria retained her Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 status, after a routine international audit. Recently, a new Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility with capacity for aircraft C-checks and other comprehensive levels of maintenance was established in Lagos. This would save the country an estimated $90m annually.

 Giant strides have been recorded over the past three years to improve road transport infrastructure in all geopolitical zones of the country.

 The Railway Sector has also received tremendous attention as this Administration is committed to the goal of linking all State capitals in the Federation by rail network to ease the movement of goods and passengers.

 The Education Sector especially at tertiary level has continued to witness expansion in order to improve access to higher education by millions of youths in Nigeria. Over the last three years, Government has approved the establishment of 1 new Federal Polytechnic, granted licenses for the establishment of 4 State and 14 private-owned Universities as well as 12 private Polytechnics.

 Government has also continued to support the implementation of various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of Basic Education delivery. Thus, it has ensured proper funding at the Basic Education level with the disbursement of N42.2 billion UBE Matching Grant to 26 States and the FCT, N851.5 million Special Education Grant disbursed to 23 States and private providers of Special Education and N2.2 billion Teachers Professional Development Fund to 33 States and the FCT.

 The Federal Government has continued to support fiscal sustainability at the sub-national governments through the implementation of the Budget Support Facility which was accompanied by the 22- point Fiscal Sustainability Plan. Thus, bailouts funds were made available to States to ease their fiscal challenges and other obligations including payment of salaries.

 In addition, a total of 73 Ecological Fund projects for the control of gully erosion in different communities across all geopolitical zones have been completed in the last three years and are undergoing commissioning while 53 other projects are ongoing. The execution of these projects has generated 357 skilled jobs and 1,350 unskilled jobs during this period.

 It is pertinent to also make mention of the immeasurable contributions of the Nigerian woman to national development and advancement of democracy, over the last three years. The government and people appreciate you all as mothers of our great country.

 My dear country men and women, as we all celebrate our democratic experience, let us resolve to avoid hatred and intolerance; we can only achieve our objectives in an atmosphere of harmony and peaceful co-existence.

 Finally, the up-coming months will usher us into another season of general elections. Let me use this opportunity to urge us all to conduct ourselves, our wards and our constituencies with the utmost sense of fairness, justice and peaceful co-existence such that we will have not only hitch free elections but also a credible and violence free process.

 In few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill

 I thank you for your attention.

 God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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Offa bank robbery kingpins confess

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The leaders of the robbery gang that struck banks in Offa in Kwara on April 5 are reported to be making startling confessions.

The robbery led to the death of more than 30 persons, including policemen and loss of millions of Naira.

As families of victims are mourning their loved once killed in the operation, the robbery gang leaders are making mind boggling confessions.

At least 22 suspected in connection with the bank robbery, including the ring leaders, are currently detained for investigations.

According to a reliable source, a dismissed Corporal in the Nigeria Police, Mr. Micheal Adikwu, lead the operation.

He was assisted by another leader, Mr. Kunle Ogunleye aka Arrow, and one Abel and others.

They have confessed to the operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence and Response Team (IRT), led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Abba Kyari.

Adikwu, the dismissed corporal, who organised and led the bank robbery operation has confessed to have killed over 20 people, majority of them policemen.

“Adikwu was formerly working with the Kwara State Police Command, SARS unit, before he was dismissed for allowing suspected armed robbers detained, to escape. Since then, he had been embittered and vowed to deal with policemen.

“Adikwu told IRT operatives that his killing of the policemen was not a mistake, but quite deliberate.’’

“Adikwu, in prison, has been threatening to the hearing of other inmates, that he will kill as many policemen as possible once he has the opportunity.’’

He is reported to have vowed that he would continue to kill policemen because of his dismissal from the force and be sending him to prison for release robbery suspects.

A member of the gang, Kunle Ogunleye aka Arrow, also confessed to have killed two people.

Another member of the gang, Abel, confessed to have killed five people.

Abel reportedly said: “I killed five people, but I sprayed bullets on many people. I don’t know if they died. I can only confirm the death of five people, who I witnessed myself.”

“They also confessed to have gone to Offa three times on surveillance mission.

“The police station and banks were carefully studied. Adikwu led the first team to enter the police station, while others stayed outside.

“ He confessed he led the three gang members into the station. The four of them walked into the station like they came to lodge a complaint. They concealed their rifles in their clothes and immediately they entered the police station premises, Adikwu opened fire and killed the station guard.

“He confessed killing nine people in the police station and carried their rifles.

“They confessed to have taken tramadol and other drugs before embarking on the operation. They killed over 30 people on that day.

“After the operation, he went to each of the banks which were being robbed to issue orders. He was captured on CCTV shouting at his members, telling them what to do and what not to do,” the source further said.

Arrow is quoted to have said: “I was among the three people that entered the police station with Adikwu, but I didn’t shoot or kill anyone. It was Adikwu that shot and killed all the policemen. He went from one office to the other, killing everyone. We only gave him cover.”

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Woman arraigned for allegedly forging nursing licence, risks 3 years in jail

For allegedly forging a Nursing and Midwifery Council’s licence, a 28-year-old woman, Deborah Onikanni,
was on Wednesday brought before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court.

Onikanni, whose address was not provided, is facing charges of conspiracy and forgery.

The accused, according to the Prosecutor, Inspector Modupe Olaluwoye, committed the offences with others still at large on May, 2016 at the Nigeria Nursing and Midwifery Council, Yaba.

She said the accused was apprehended when she went to renew the forged licence with pin 2016/06928/J at the council.

Olaluwoye said the Head of Nursing and Midwifery, Mrs Shode Bolaji, noticed that the quality of the licence paper was bad.

“After confirming the licence was forged through the pin, she seized it and reported the case at the police station.”

The offences contravened Sections 363 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 365 (1) prescribes a three-year jail term for forgery, while Section 411 provides a two-year for conspiracy.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.J. Oghere, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 with two responsible sureties in like sum.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.J. Oghere, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 with two responsible sureties in like sum.

She said the sureties must be gainfully employed with an evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

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Two men docked for allegedly stealing cell phones

Two men appeared before an Ikorodu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State on Wednesday for allegedly stealing two cell phones valued at N30, 000 at a church in the town.

The accused: Adekunle Ibrahim (18), and Gabriel Oladele (20), who both live at the Elepe community in Ikorodu, were docked on charges of conspiracy and stealing.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

The prosecutor, Sgt. John Iberedem, told the court that the duo stole the phones of one Seun Durojaiye, while he was sleeping in the church after a night vigil on May 18.

“The complainant kept the phones under his head and slept off, but the accused stole the phones.

“They didn’t confess initially when it was announced that the phones were missing but a few days later, one of the suspects came back to confess in the church.

“They were later taken to the police for interrogation as the phones were nowhere to be found,’’ he said.

Iberedem said the offences contravened Section 411 and 287 of the Lagos State Criminal Code Law, 2015.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs F. A. Azeez, granted them bail in the sum of N50, 000 each, with one surety each in like sum.

She ruled that the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government and adjourned the case until June 16, for hearing.

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Lagos spare parts dealer kills lover, stuffs corpse in bin

The romance of a Lagos couple has come to a tragic end after the man, Isaiah Chukwu, allegedly killed his lover, identified only as Joy.

It was learnt that Chukwu and Joy, both indigenes of Ebonyi State, had been living together for the past two years without formalising the relationship.

Chukwu, a spare parts dealer in Ladipo, Oshodi, allegedly killed the 26-year-old at their residence on Balogun Street, Oshodi.

He was said to have stuffed her corpse into a bin, which he put in a sack.

Our correspondent gathered that the 35-year-old tied up the deceased’s legs and knotted the top of the sack.

He had allegedly dragged the body around 4am to the ground floor of the house en route to a dust bin when he was accosted by some youths.

The youths, who were said to have been suspicious of the content of the sack, reportedly questioned him as the suspect shunned them.

An Islamic cleric, who was passing by, was said to have opened the sack and discovered the corpse, which caused the mob to pounce on the suspect and beat him to a pulp.

Residents, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday during a visit to the area, said they were shocked because although the couple had yet to have a child, they lived together peacefully.

A trader, who did not want to be identified, said Chukwu had declared the victim missing some days earlier.

He said, “The one-storeyed building where they lived had been contracted to a developer, who ordered all tenants in the house to leave. They were the only tenants remaining on the first floor. Some other tenants stayed on the ground floor.

“About four days ago, he said he had been looking for the woman and her telephone line had not been reachable. Later, he said it had been switched off.

“However, around 4am on Monday, he was seen dragging something from his apartment. Because it is the Ramadan period, there are usually movements on the street by that time.

“Some boys on the street saw him dragging the sack with difficulty and they asked him what was inside it. He said it was a heap of spoiled food and he was taking it to the refuse dump which was a few metres away. They asked him to open it, but he refused.”

The trader said the youths started hitting Chukwu, insisting that he opened the sack.

He noted that an Islamic cleric, who was going for morning prayer, stopped and decided to mediate.

The cleric was said to have volunteered to open the sack.

“As he opened it, an overpowering stench from the corpse filled the air and the youths stripped the man naked and beat him up.  They were about to lynch him when policemen from the Akinpelu division arrived and took him away,” the trader added.

Another resident said the suspect might have allegedly killed Joy before Monday when the corpse was discovered.

“He rarely comes out to play with people. But on Sunday, he came downstairs and played with people for a long time, probably to escape the stench of the corpse. When people went to the room after the woman’s corpse was discovered, the whole apartment was filled with perfume,” she added.

Some friends of the deceased, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Joy adored Chukwu and spoke fondly of him.

 “They don’t fight. In fact, people always envied their relationship. The woman could be doing something and immediately she heard that he was around, she would leave it and say, ‘My oga don come. My darling don come.’ I never believed this could happen,” one of them said.

A police source said Joy was stabbed in the back.

He said, “We recovered a knife which he used for the crime and four mobile phones from the house. Although investigations are ongoing, we suspect it had to do with suspicion of infidelity.

“The man said he had called her when he travelled and a man picked the call. He said the man queried him (Chukwu) for disturbing his wife.”

The suspect, who spoke briefly with our correspondent, confirmed the source’s account.

He said, “I travelled on Thursday to attend a burial in Abraka, Delta State. I left Abraka the following day for my hometown in Ebonyi State. I called my wife around 11pm to know how she was faring. We exchanged pleasantries.

“Around 11.45pm, I called again, but she did not pick her calls. I called about 10 times, but she did not pick. Then I heard a man’s voice.

“On Monday (after he returned), as I was going to take my bath, I saw the corpse.”

A sibling of the victim broke down in tears at the Akinpelu Police Station upon hearing the news of Joy’s death.

The sibling’s husband asked that she be excused from police interview.

He, however, said Chukwu and Joy were live-in lovers.

He said, “They were not married, although he has visited her family members in the village. They have been living together for the past two years without formalising their marriage. He rented that apartment for her, while he stayed with his brothers in another house. He used to go to meet her at her apartment.

“She (Joy) had come to see my wife about a week ago to say that she was no longer interested in the relationship. But the man said he could not let go because of the money he had spent on her. My wife counselled her to consider him and she said she would think about it before this incident happened.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, confirmed the incident, adding that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.

He said, “The man has been arrested, while the corpse has been deposited in a morgue for an autopsy.

“The Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, has ordered diligent prosecution of the case. He has also advised residents not to stay in abusive relationships and report any case of domestic violence before it is too late.”

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Court remands five men who allegedly raped, videotaped teenagers

A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ondo town, Ondo State, has remanded five persons in custody for allegedly  raping and torturing two teenage girls ( names withheld) in the town.

The five accused –Bode Akinsiku, Femi Olabanji, Abiodun Ayodele, Wahab Fadairo and Adebayo Adedayo – were arrested by the men of the Ondo State Police Command after committing the offence on Kogbona Street in the ancient town last week.

The accused were also said to have videotaped how they tortured the victims and posted their nude pictures on the Internet.

The accused were arraigned on six counts of conspiracy, rape, defamation of character and torture.

The prosecutor, Mr. Bernard Olagbayi, said the offences “are contrary to and punishable under sections 516, 351, 360, 367, 359 and 375 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Law of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.”

The accused pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

The prosecutor prayed the court to grant him a short adjournment to enable him to arrange all his witnesses.

Counsel for the accused, Mr. Adesanmi Olanrewaju, Mr. O.A. Akinbinu and Mr. A.J. Akindele, urged the court to grant the accused bail in liberal terms.

They noted that the victims were not in court, adding that the accused were still presumed innocent of all the allegations levied against them.

But the counsel for the victims, Mills Orlu, opposed the bail applications by the counsel for the accused, arguing that the absence of the victims in the court was as a result of security threats received from family members of the accused.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. B.F. Ajibade, declined bail to the accused and ruled that the five men should be remanded in prison.

She adjourned hearing of the case till June 21, 2018.

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I’ll reduce you to nothing, policeman threatens man who pleaded for brutalised keke rider

A man, Prince Gwamnishu Harrison, has accused two policemen attached to ‘A’ Division , Delta State Police Command, in Asaba, the capital of Delta State of brutalising him and a commercial tricycle rider.

Prince Harrison also alleged that the policemen, Inspector Haruna Japhet and a sergeant with Service No: 462207, threatened his life and vowed to “reduce him to nothing”.

Harrison, in a post he shared on his Facebook timeline, said trouble began when he and a colleague stopped to plead for a commercial tricycle rider who had been beaten to stupor by the Japhet and his colleagues.

Harrison further alleged that the tricycle rider parted with N14,000 to secure his release.

Harrison, who also shared a video of the incident alleged that one of the policemen hit him in the face, before threatening to “reduce him to nothing”.

He wrote,

ATTEMPT TO MURDER PRINCE HARRISON BY NIGERIA POLICE DELTA STATE COMMAND FOR STOPPING THEM FROM BRUTALIZING A KEKE RIDER IN ASASBA.

Driving along Nnebisi road, we saw a man lying helplessly in the Mud, blood coming out from his mouth. My colleague and i stop to help.

The man pointed to the bank that the officers beat him up. Next two police officers and a bank security guard tried to push a keke belonging to the man inside the bank. The man stood up and hold his keke.

I tried my best to stop Inspector Haruna Japhet and a Sergeant with Service No: 462207 from brutalizing a keke man, plead to them but to no avail.

The Police Sergeant left the keke man, rush and hit me in the face. The keke man was detained at A Division Asaba, released on bail after paying N11,000 and also paid N3000 to release his keke. The Police officers have also threatened to reduce Harrison to nothing and also gave out my vehicle color and plate number to some of his colleague.

I call on Inspector General of Police, Delta State Police Command to help address this trend by officers of Nigeria Police force brutalizing and extorting from citizens.

In the video shared on Facebook by Prince Gwamnishu Harrison on Tuesday, the police officers were seen dragging and physically assaulting the tricycle driver, who was clinging to his vehicle in a bid to stop them from taking it away.

As the police urged the driver to let go of the tricycle, the man clung to his vehicle and said, “Una go kill me today.”

When passers-by tried to intervene, the police officers refused to budge.

One of the policemen, Haruna Japhet even threatened one of the passers-by, who was pleading that the driver should be left alone. He said, “Keep quiet, I will reduce you to nothing.”

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