Cholera kills six in Lagos, 39 under observation
Six people have died of cholera in Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State after eating contaminated Abacha, a local delicacy of the people of the South-East geopolitical zone. The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who briefed the press about the development at the state’s secretariat on Thursday, stated that 39 other persons were under observation and receiving treatment at public and private health facilities in Isolo.
Policemen kill undergraduate while chasing Internet fraudster
Tragedy struck at the Ogoja Market, LASU-Igando Road, Lagos State, after operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad shot dead an undergraduate of a polytechnic in Edo State, Eldanojie Joseph. The 20-year-old business administration student was said to be on a visit to his cousin, Friday Ojah, who lived on Alape Street, Iba Ojo, when he was hit by a stray bullet. PUNCH Metro learnt that the operatives were chasing a suspected Internet fraudster, identified as Badoo, who had parked his car and fled upon sighting the officers.
Naira crashes to 436 as dollar reserves shrink
The naira hit a new record low of 436 against the United States dollar at parallel market on Thursday, down from 428 on Wednesday, as dollar shortages on the official market persist. The development came amid depleting external reserves, which stood at $24.8bn on Monday. It also came two days after the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Committee met and left the lending rate and other key economic indicators unchanged.
Police uncover fraudsters’ den in Ogun
The Ogun State Police Command has uncovered a “fraudsters’ den” at Pokuku Village in the Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state.
The den, which was nicknamed “Pokuku Shrine” was until Wednesday allegedly used by suspected fraudsters to carry out different forms of criminal activities such as fraud, according to the police. The state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ilyasu, on Wednesday said the police raided the shrine after an intelligence report on criminal activities being perpetrated there.
NSCDC, DPR arrest 36 suspects, seal three companies
No fewer than 36 suspects have been arrested, following raids on three companies by the Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, the state branch of the Department of Petroleum Resources and the Kwara State Command of the Department of State Services. The Kwara State Commandant, NSCDC, Mr Pedro Ideba, said on Thursday that the affected companies, which were suspected to have engaged in illegal refining and distribution of lubricating oil, were Segmax Company with one Olusegun Jesuwumi as its director; Woopet Ogbus Ventures Ltd, with Wilfred Ogbudimkpa as its managing director; and Manna Biz Ventures, managed by Ibrahim Isiaka.
NCC raids Delta communities, seizes N25m materials
The Nigerian Copyright Commission on Thursday said it had seized pirated materials estimated at N25m during the commission’s raid of the Warri, Ughelli and Sapele areas of Delta State. It added that it granted amnesty to some suspected pirates, who were arrested by officials of the commission from its Abuja headquarters, with a warning not to return to the illicit business or risk being jailed. The commission’s Director of Enforcement, Mr. Augustine Amodu, who led the team, which was assisted by armed policemen and soldiers, spoke on Thursday in Sapele.
Two residents stab each other to death
A scuffle between two residents of AIT Road in the Alagbado area of Lagos State became a tragedy on Wednesday after they stabbed each other to death.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the two men – Owolabi Yusuf and the other, identified simply as Isiaka – had at about 7.30pm disagreed on a yet-to-be-ascertained issue and attacked each other with knives. Our correspondent gathered that before they could be separated by other residents, they had stabbed each other with the knives.
Woman bathes 14-year-old niece with hot water
A 29-year-old businesswoman, Odor Oyinyechiwho, who allegedly poured hot water on her 14-year-old niece, Esther Ariserekwu, has been arraigned before a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. The defendant was accused of assaulting her niece over a mistake the minor made, the News Agency of Nigeria reports. A police prosecutor, Anthonia Osanyade, told the court that the accused committed the offence on September 5, 2016, on Adetola Street, Aguda, Surulere.
Victim sights robbers at restaurant, raises the alarm
The police in Lagos State have arrested two suspected robbers, Emanuel Anyanwu and Kennedy Ujagbor, who allegedly robbed some people in the Oshodi area of the state.
Our correspondent gathered that 39-year-old Anyanwu, an ex-convict, and Ujagbor, 42, were apprehended on Wednesday after one of their victims, identified only as Bolaji, saw them at a restaurant in the Cele bus stop area along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.
Trending: School- leaver rapes four-year-old girl in her brother’s presence
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old suspect, Bassey Johnson, for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl in the Idimu area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the school-leaver, who is also learning a trade, allegedly raped the girl, Fatima (pseudonym), when she and her elder brother went to watch a television in the suspect’s apartment. The victim’s family and the suspect were said to be neighbours in the area.
Police deploy helicopters to search for abducted landlords
The Zone 2 Police Command has said it is not giving up on the search for the kidnapped landlords in the Isheri North area of Lagos State. The zonal spokesperson, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, told PUNCH Metro on Wednesday that the police had deployed more personnel in the area to find the victims. Our correspondent had reported that masked gunmen, numbering nine, had emerged from the waterways around 8am on Saturday.
Imo mob lynches suspected serial killer, Fela
A suspected criminal, Charles Emeka, popularly called Fela, who had allegedly been terrorising residents of Owerri, the capital of Imo State, and its environs, has been killed. It was gathered on Wednesday that a mob in Owerri battered him to death. Emeka, a native of Aguneze in the Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of the state, was said to have confessed to the mob that he could not remember the number of persons he had killed.
Three dead after bus plunges into Kaduna river
The Kaduna Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps has confirmed the death of three persons and declared 14 others missing after an 18-seater bus plunged into River Rijana on Kaduna-Abuja Road. The sector’s Head of Operations, Mr. Salisus Galadunci, said the accident occurred around 11pm on Tuesday. Galadunci told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Kaduna that the 18 persons, who were members of the same family, were returning to Lokoja, Kogi State, from Kano State when the accident occurred.
Man stabbed to death in Delta over girlfriend
A twenty-five year-old man, Matthew Iyede, has been stabbed to death by three friends due to a disagreement over a ‘girlfriend’ at Eku, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State. It was gathered that the incident occurred on Sunday morning at a popular bar, Blue Sea Restaurant and Bar, in Eku near Delta State University Abraka. Eyewitnesses told Southern City News that the victim died as a result of the injuries he sustained on his chest after he was stabbed several times.
Nobody knows why daddy committed suicide – Son
Opeyemi Waheed, the first son of a 52-year-old man, Bolaji Waheed, who reportedly drank poison in the Ajegunle, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, says nobody in the family knows why his father committed suicide. The 18-year-old son told our correspondent that the family members were still looking for explanation why his father, who was an electrician, took the drastic decision. PUNCH Metro had reported on Tuesday that residents of Salvation Avenue found Bolaji’s corpse at the bank of the Itowolo River at about 1.30pm on Monday.
Boy drowns in water drum, police arrest grandma, father
A two-year-old boy, Eniola Ajakaye, has drowned inside a drum of water while holidaying with his grandmother in Aboru, in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the police arrested the victim’s father, Sunday Ajakaye, a mechanic, and Sunday’s 65-year-old mother, after the boy’s mother, Mary, accused them of complicity in the death. They were reportedly detained at the Oke Odo Police Division for alleged murder.
Gunmen kill police orderly as LG boss escapes death
A police corporal attached to Paul Ekpo, Transition Committee Chairman of Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has been killed by gunmen, who opened fire on their vehicle. It was learnt that the bullets also hit Ekpo and his driver, but his orderly died at the spot as he received more bullet wounds from the gunmen. The assailants were said to have left without taking a kobo from the money the chairman went to a bank to withdraw.
Flood destroys 4,070 houses, 13,147 farms in C’River
Persistent rainfall has destroyed no fewer than 4,070 houses and 13,147 farms in Cross River State between August and September 2016. The Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. John Inaku, disclosed this to Southern City News in Calabar on Tuesday. The state government had on September 10 stated that it had earmarked N800m to intensify the fight against flood in the state.
Customs seize N20m fake malaria drugs
The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized over 33 cartons of alleged substandard anti-malaria drugs and antibiotics valued at N20m.
The command equally confiscated 500 bags of smuggled rice. The drugs were said to have been intercepted at the Idiroko border area, while the rice was seized after operatives of the command raided an illegal warehouse at Okere Creek, near Bawe Gbo, in the Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Gunmen kill two policemen in Rivers
UNIDENTIFIED gunmen on Tuesday killed two riot policemen attached to the Rivers State Police Command after a gun battle between them and the police in Ikiri, Omoku town, in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area. It was gathered that the two other policemen were also rushed to an undisclosed hospital, where they were receiving treatment. It was gathered that the gunmen met the policemen at a construction site in the area and engaged them in shoot-out.
52-year- old drinks poison, jumps into Lagos river
Residents of Salvation Avenue in the Ajegunle, Ikorodu area of Lagos State have found the corpse of a man by the riverside. PUNCH Metro learnt that the deceased, Bolaji Waheed, was found around 1.30pm at the bank of the Itowolo River with a bottle containing a substance suspected to be poison. Our correspondent gathered that 52-year-old Waheed had been declared missing on Saturday after his family members could not find him.
Tension as policemen kill 70-year-old Abia hunter
There has been tension in Amaekpu Ohafia community in the Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State following a clash between youths of the community and policemen attached to the area over the killing of a 70-year-old hunter, Chief Kalu Okowu, aka Crossca. It was gathered that some policemen had beaten the victim to death while trying to arrest him for allegedly injuring a fellow hunter during a hunting expedition. A source described Okowu as a jovial, caring and peace-loving man, who was not known for trouble in the community.
One killed, houses razed in C’River communal clash
At least one person was killed on Monday while two others sustained bullet injuries following hostilities between indigenes of New Netim and Odukpani towns in the Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State. Over 20 houses and several vehicles were reportedly burnt in New Netim during the incident which occurred at about 1am. PUNCH Metro learnt that the house of the head of New Netim, Chief Raphael Ita, was razed.
Ogun farm manager killed while harvesting crop
A farm manager, Gbenga Kiki, has been strangled by unknown persons while harvesting crop on a farmland in Orisada-Eyo community in the Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State. PUNCH Metro gathered that 37-year-old Gbenga, a father of two, who managed the farm for his boss, whose name had yet to be ascertained, was killed penultimate Sunday, while harvesting tomatoes. It was learnt that the farm manager had left for the farm on his motorcycle around 12pm.
Suspect steals from policewoman during interrogation
A 28-year-old man, Deji Ayoola, who was arrested by the police in Lagos State for theft, has allegedly stolen money from the policewoman interrogating him.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Ayoola was being interrogated at the Rapid Response Squad office in Alausa, Ikeja, on Saturday, when he allegedly stole N1,200, which fell from the policewoman’s pocket. The suspect had earlier been arrested by the men of the RRS in the Ojodu Berger area for allegedly stealing from a commuter.
Graduate impersonates Bishop Kukah, defrauds Oyedepo, Dantata, others
A graduate of Political Science, Jehu Kwasu, has narrated how he impersonated the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah and defrauded prominent Nigerians of millions of naira. Kwasu said his victims included Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, who he claimed gave him N500,000; the Chairman, Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko, N1m; Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, N500,000; businessman, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, N2m. He allegedly collected the sums for Internally Displaced Persons.
Ikeja Electric cuts supply to Agege, others over erosion threat
THE Police High Command, yesterday, said it has concluded plans to establish a police division in communities around the border between Lagos and Ogun States, with a view to curbing the activities of kidnappers. The decision is coming on the heels of cases of kidnappings in the area located around the riverine areas. Recall that four landlords were last week in one of the communities in Isheri North area of Lagos state.
Imo retirees protest non-payment of arrears
It was a tale of woes for Imo pensioners that thronged their various pay points yesterday, to pick their cheques, as promised by Governor Rochas Okorocha. Vanguard, who closely monitored the exercise in parts of the state, noticed that despite the media hype that trailed the payment, only the pension of August was paid, while government totally left the previous months.
Nasarawa LGA to shut 700 illegal private schools
As schools resume for academic session in Nasarawa State, more than 700 private schools are to be shut in Karu Local Government Area for operating without government approval. Meanwhile, private school owners have now reduced fees by 50 percent due to the non-payment of salaries. General Secretary, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, in the local government, Mr. Salihu Ilyasu, who disclosed this yesterday in an interview, said of the 1,300 private schools in the area, only 600 were officially approved.
Lagos, Edo, tops most indebted states list in Nigeria
Lagos, Kaduna and Edo State are among other states listed most indebted states of the federation with a combined profile of $1.84bn. According to statistics from the Debt Management Office in Abuja on Wednesday, the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory owe $3.65bn in foreign debts as against the $7.61bn owed by the Federal Government as of June 30, 2016; bringing the country’s total foreign debt to $11.26bn.
138 Jigawa flood victims get N25,000 per damaged room
No fewer than 138 victims of the recent flood disaster in Jahun Local Government Area of Jigawa State benefited from the N6 million cash donation by the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA. Executive Secretary of the agency, Yusuf Babura, who made the disclosure yesterday in Jahun, said the gesture was meant to bring relief to the beneficiaries.
FLOOD HITS 150 COMMUNITIES IN NDOKWA
At least, 150 communities in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State have been submerged by flood. Worst hit are those located along River Niger, which include Aboh, Onyia, Adiai, Abalagada, Utchi, Okpai communities among others. Reports from the area said many of the towns and villages have been cut off from one another due to the destruction of link roads by the flood.
TASK FORCE ARRESTS 4 VEHICLES OWNERS, IMPOUNDS 17 MOTORCYCLES FOR DRIVING AGAINST TRAFFIC
Operatives of the state task force have arrested four private vehicles owners/drivers and impounded 17 motorcycles for driving/plying against traffic. The task force said the enforcement operation, led by the agency chairman, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, was due to series of complaints from people around Iyana-Ipaja, Pen-Cinema, Air-port Road, Ile-zik and Fagba areas.
Egbeyemi, in a statement issued by the Agency’s spokesperson, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, stated that people around these areas complained that at peak hours of the day, some people drove and rode motorcycles, including tricycles, against traffic thereby causing accidents, which had led to the death of many people while some had parts of their body amputated due to human carelessness.
