4 killed in flood, road accident in Niger
Three passengers in a commuter bus lost their lives in an auto crash around Sabon Daga on Minna-Bida Road in Niger State on Sunday, Metro has gathered. Another person
also lost his life to flood following a heavy downpour at Kuturko village around Fadipe community in Bosso Local Government Area of the state, the same day. In the
road traffic crash, a 18-seater bus reportedly somersaulted at about 6.30 a. m. on Sunday, killing the three people, while nine others sustained varying degrees of
Gang breaks man’s skull with hammer, shoots two
There was chaos in the Mushin area of Lagos after some gang members, who were engaged in a supremacy fight clashed. During the fight, the skull of one Oluwafemi, was
reportedly broken with a hammer. PUNCH Metro learnt that the gang also stabbed the victim with knives, as some others smashed concrete blocks on his head.
Two other residents of Lawani Street, identified as Sheriff Ajani and Samuel Junior, sustained gunshot injuries, while two vehicles were damaged by the hoodlums.
Tanker fire razes 15 houses in Oyo
No fewer than 15 houses were razed after a petroleum tanker exploded in the Saki area of Oyo State on Monday. PUNCH Metro learnt that the tanker was descending a slope
at the Kinikini area of the town when the driver lost control and the tanker tumbled, spilling its content into buildings. Although no life was lost, hundreds of
residents were reportedly rendered homeless.
Police kill robbers in Ebonyi
The Ebonyi State Police Command on Monday said its operatives killed two suspected armed robbers in a gun duel. The command alleged that the victims were members of a gang that had been terrorising motorists along the Afikpo-Okigwe Highway. The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP George Okafor, disclosed this at the
command headquarters in Abakaliki.
Police kill motorcyclist, youths burn down police station
There was pandemonium on the Aliade-Awajir Road, in the Konshisha area of Benue State, after a police inspector allegedly shot dead a motorcycle rider, identified as
Gabriel Saa. PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim was shot dead after interfering in a discussion between the police inspector and another motorcycle rider on the road.
The inspector was allegedly demanding a N50 bribe from the motorcycle rider when the victim interjected, leading to a heated argument.
Five men steal diesel inside N’Assembly complex
Security operatives on Tuesday arrested five suspects for allegedly stealing diesel at the National Assembly complex, Abuja. The suspects were caught with nine 25-
litre and one 50-litre jerrycans containing diesel. The Volkswagen Golf with number plate, Abuja BV 464 RSH, allegedly used for the operation was also impounded.
Driver absconds with N7.2m fuel, girlfriend, guarantor remanded
The police in Lagos have arrested a 25-year-old woman, Joy Okeke, after her boyfriend, Ofoagbu Ekene, reportedly diverted 40,000 litres of diesel worth N7.2m and fled.
Okeke was apprehended along with a teacher, Lukman Kelani, who was said to have stood as a guarantor of the fleeing suspect at Northbridge Oil, which employed him as a
driver. PUNCH Metro learnt that the company had sent Ekene to deliver the fuel at a filling station in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on October 1.
Panic as residents kill three pythons in Lagos
Some security guards of Greenland Estate in the Mende, Maryland area of Lagos State killed three 30-foot pythons in the early hours of Tuesday. PUNCH Metro learnt that
the killing of the reptiles brought panic into the estate as residents expressed fear for their safety. It was gathered that the animals were exposed after the
dredging activities of the Lagos State Government.
Free education: Parents accuse Lagos schoolteachers of extortion
Some parents of pupils of the Ojodu Primary School II, owned by the Lagos State Government have accused some teachers in the school of extorting money from them.
They said the teachers usually gave their children a list of fees estimated at thousands of naira every term despite the government’s declaration that education was
free in the state. The parents, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on condition of anonymity to save their children from being victimised, said the teachers in the school
compelled pupils to buy textbooks, which were supposed to be given out free as directed by the state government.
SSS3 pupil electrocuted in Benue, buried
An 18-year-old Senior Secondary School Three pupil of Jesus College, Otukpo, Benue State, who was electrocuted in the school hostel, has been buried. It was gathered
that the victim, Godwin Ejeh, was buried on Friday in Owukpa in the Ogbadibo Local Government Area of the state. Ejeh died on Thursday, October 6, while attempting to
charge his mobile phone using a naked wire in the school hostel.
Twins burnt to death in Ogun petrol fire
Tragedy struck in Gaun community, in the Magboro area of Ogun State, after two children, Taiye and Kehinde Oluwasegun, were burnt to death in an inferno that gutted
their parents’ bungalow on Tuesday. PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident happened around 8pm while the family was preparing to have dinner. Our correspondent gathered
that the first born of the family, Iyanu, had tripped over a jerrycan of fuel, which also spilled some of its content in the parlour. While the mother mopped the
spillage, the fuel was said to have flowed to a lantern in the house, which triggered an explosion.
Kidnappers brought back our children to school area – Parent
One of the parents of four freed pupils of the Lagos Junior Model College, Igbonla, Epe, Lagos State, has said the victims were brought back by the kidnappers to a
bush behind the school, not far from where they were abducted six days ago.
The parent, who pleaded that his identity be protected, told PUNCH Metro on Wednesday that the kidnappers brought the schoolboys, the teacher and the Vice-Principal to
the area that they had passed through to invade the school on Thursday, October 6.
Man, 75, arraigned for raping five-year-old in Ebonyi
A 75-year-old man, Joseph Oduma, of Amaechi Ezzamgbo in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has been arraigned before an Abakaliki magistrate’s court
for allegedly raping a five-year-old girl. The Magistrate, Olughu Nnachi, declined to grant the accused bail, ordering that he be remanded in the Abakaliki Federal
Prisons, pending legal advice. According to the charge, the offence is punishable under Section 358 of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Vol. 1 Law of Ebonyi State of Nigeria,
Trailer crushes suspected police escort in C’River
AN unidentified person suspected to be a police escort was on Friday crushed to death by a trailer that skidded off the road in Ugep, headquarters of Yakurr Local
Government Area of Cross River State. The incident, which happened at about 8pm close to the Eckankar Temple along the busy Calabar-Ikom Expressway, was said to have
happened after the driver of the trailer, with registration number FUN 69 XA, lost control and veered off the road. An eyewitness told Southern City News on Sunday
that the Calabar-bound trailer from the northern part of the country was loaded with goats.
Policeman escorts robbery suspects to sell loot
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested two members of a robbery gang for allegedly attacking a polythene producing company in Alibaba, in the Isashi area of the
state, stealing a raw material evaluated at N6.4m. The suspects are 42-year-old Moruf Afolabi and one Saheed Adeoti, a new worker of the company.
A policeman, identified simply as Tunde, aka Agbo, reportedly escorted a truck containing 220 bags of the stolen raw material to the Mangoro area of the state, where
they were sold.
Navy nabs oil thieves, seizes adulterated diesel
The Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Jubilee, Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, have seized three wooden Cotonou boats with 47,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally
refined Automative Gas Oil. The commander of the ship, Commodore Saidu Garba, who said this in Ikot Abasi on Saturday, praised the Nigerian Navy for achieving the
results. According to him, over 47,000 litres of liquid suspected to be AGO; three Cotonou wooden boats; 113 drums of 250 litres of AGO and 188 empty drums of 250
litres have been recovered from the suspects in Ibeno, Ibeno Local Government Area of the state.
Reckless police driver kills two in Delta
A police driver has killed two people while attempting to stop an overloaded commercial bus on the Asaba-Ibusa-Ogwashi-Uku Expressway, in the Oshimili North Local
Government Area of Delta State. Several sources, who witnessed the accident, told PUNCH Metro that the driver of the commercial bus and a male suspect, who the police
were taking to the state command in Asaba, died on the spot. A female suspect, who the policemen had also arrested, reportedly passed out and was rushed to a hospital.
Gunmen abduct printing press employee, demand N100m ransom
Some gunmen on Friday kidnapped an employee of a commercial printing press in Ikeja, Mr. Emmanuel Brown, in the Agric, Ikorodu area of the state. Our correspondent
learnt that Brown, who was driving home with his wife and daughter, was attacked by the gunmen at about 7pm around Church bus stop, Agric. The assailants reportedly
took the family hostage in their car, whisking them away to a junction in the neighbouring Imota area, where they let go of the wife and daughter on the same evening.
Hoodlums snatch rifles from drunken cops
THE Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 6 Command, Calabar, Abubakar Marafa, has alleged that some hoodlums have snatched rifles from drunken policemen.
Marafa also lamented that there had been frequent cases of firearms misuse by policemen on duty, adding that the development had led to the killing of innocent
persons. Speaking in Uyo on Friday during a visit to the state Police Command, Marafa stated that policemen were only allowed to shoot when their lives were threatened.
Tension as Enugu recruits 25,000 neighbourhood watch members
There was palpable tension in Enugu on Wednesday as the state began the recruitment of neighbourhood watch members in all its communities. Our correspondent learnt
that a total of 25,000 persons, mostly able-bodied young men, are to be recruited across the state to form neighbourhood security outfits. No fewer than 50 persons are
to be selected to serve in each of the 470 communities in the state. Our correspondent gathered that the development followed a directive by the state Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Unpaid salaries: Guards deny C’River workers access to office
Security guards attached to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in Calabar on Wednesday stopped members of staff from entering the Cross River State office. The
aggrieved casual security workers alleged that they had not been paid for over five months. It was learnt the ministry’s offices in the other states namely, Akwa Ibom,
Delta, Edo, Rivers, Ondo, Abia, Imo and Bayelsa were also shut for the same reason. One of the aggrieved workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “They
last paid us in March 2016 and each time we complain, they keep promising that we would soon be paid. Life has become unbearable for us in this harsh economic season.”
DVC escapes as gunmen kidnap DPO’s daughter, govt official
THE Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academics, Cross River University of Technology, Prof. Gabriel Ikpi, is currently recuperating from gunshot wounds sustained
after he escaped being kidnapped. The incident, which happened over the weekend, had thrown the university community into panic. Also, an unidentified daughter of a
former Police Public Relations Officer in Cross River State, Mr. John Umoh, was kidnapped in Calabar on Monday. This came just as the Executive Secretary of Obudu
Urban Development Authority, Mr. Canice Atsu, was on the same day abducted by unknown gunmen in his Obudu home.
Police nab 12 suspected criminals in A’Ibom
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested 12 persons suspected to be involved in criminal activities in the state. The suspects, whose crimes range from
kidnapping, theft, armed robbery, rape to cultism were reportedly picked up from different locations across Akwa Ibom while one of them was apprehended in Benue State.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Murtala Mani, said on Tuesday two criminals were picked up while removing batteries from street lights powered by solar energy in
Uyo. Mani, who spoke through the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Cordelia Nwawe, stated that two other criminals were apprehended for car theft.
Delta absolves officials of child trafficking
The Delta State Government has refuted recent media reports that some of its officials were involved in child trafficking, describing the reports as not only laughable
but unimaginable. The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, in a statement released in Asaba on Monday urged members of the public to see the
allegation as spurious as the state government or any of its officials were not involved in such an act. Ukah spoke in reaction to a petition written by Mr.
Ighorhiohwumu Aghogho, who operates an orphanage in the state.
Baby sells for N20K in eastern Nigeria
As 16-year-old Maria strained under the anguish of labor in eastern Nigeria, a midwife repeatedly slapped her across the face – but the real ordeal began minutes after
the birth of her baby. “The nurse took my baby away to be washed. She never brought her back,” the teenager said, gazing down at her feet. Maria said she learned her
newborn daughter had been given up for adoption for which she received 20,000 naira ($65.79) – the same price as a 50 kilogram bag of rice.
Student commits suicide over poor academic performance
Omu-Aran (Kwara) – A 20-year-old senior secondary school student, Moji Agboola, died on Wednesday in Omu-Aran, Kwara, after taking poison. The deceased, an SS1 student
died at Adeyemo Hospital in the town due to complications in her body system as a result of the poison. The girl was rushed to the hospital by her mother, Abigel,
about three weeks ago. The deceased was said to have taken poisonous substance after she failed her promotion examination.
Power generation increases to 4,028MW
The 3,959 megawatts (MW) of electricity that was generated on Monday, yesterday rose to 4,028 megawatts, resulting in 69 megawatts increase in power produced by the
generation companies, GENCOs. The Nigerian Electricity System Operator (SO) of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, stated this on its website. It explained that
lowest energy generation recorded was 3,440MW, while peak generation was 3,959MW The highest frequency recorded on the day under review was 51.50Hz while the lowest
frequency was 48.50Hz. Peak generation ever attained remains 5,074MW.
‘100 LGAs affected by flood’
Dutse—Special Adviser to the Director-General of the National Hydrological Services Agency, Engineer Umar Magashi, said yesterday in Dutse that over 100 local
governments areas in states across the country were affected by flood this year, including Jigawa State. Engineer Magashi, who stated this during a one-day
sensitisation workshop organised by the agency in Dutse, said cases of flood should not be left to government alone.
Bauchi govt rescues 450 teenage girls from traffickers
Bauchi State government, in collaboration with security agents, has rescued 450 teenage girls from traffickers. A member of Bauchi State High Level Women Advocates,
HILWA, a non-governmental organisation, and a staff of the Ministry of Education, Kalimatu Abdulkadir, disclosed this at a briefing to mark the International Day of
the Girl-Child, organised by the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, in collaboration with UNICEF, in Bauchi.
Kwara govt shuts 88 schools
ILORIN—Worried by the increasing number of illegal private nursery, primary and secondary schools in Kwara State, the government, yesterday, said it had closed over 88
schools and threatened to shut more in pursuit of standard education in the state. The state’s Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Musa
Yeketi, disclosed this yesterday while delivering his address at the 2016 Day of the National Association of Proprietors of Private School, NAPPS, in Ilorin.
Three robbery, kidnap suspects nabbed in Ogun
The Ogun State Police Command has smashed a robbery/kidnap syndicate that has been terrorising residents of Ijebu-Ode and Shagamu areas. Arrested were three suspected
members of the gang, with two pump action riffles, one double-barrelled gun, one English barrel gun and three locally-made single barrel guns. The suspects, according
to the spokesperson for Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, Muyiwa Adejobi, were apprehended by operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, FEDSARS, in their
hideout at Ipoji area of Shagamu.
Customs officers kill motorcyclist, arrest protesting brother
There was a breach of the peace at Mosalasi bus stop, Alagbado, Lagos State, on Thursday, during which operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, shot dead a 25-year-
old commercial motorcyclist (okada rider), Saheed Omotosho. Saheed’s elder brother, Rasheed Omotosho, was also said to have been beaten up and arrested by the customs
officers when he protested that the victim was allegedly killed unjustly. PUNCH Metro learnt that the NIS team had chased a vehicle loaded with suspected smuggled bags
of rice on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Amosun swears in new 57 LG/LCDA chairmen •APC commends voters over poll
The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, swore in 57 chairmen into the 20 Local Government and Local Government Development Areas, on Monday, charging them
to replicate the five cardinal programmes of his administration in their respective council areas. He advised them to hit the ground running by embarking on people’s
oriented programmes that would make life more meaningful to the grassroots people. The governor said this at a ceremony held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto that they
were not elected as chairmen of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), but chairmen of all political parties.
Vice principal shot in kidnap attempt in Warri
A vice principal of a secondary school in Warri escaped by the whiskers, the flaming swords of kidnappers in Warri, Delta State. The mother of five, identified as Mrs
Ati Bojor, was allegedly shot on Monday at Edjeba area of Warri in a futile attempt to abduct her. The victim, Metro gathered, was shot at about 8.00 a.m. at the
entrance of the school. It was gathered that Mrs Bojor was in her Toyota Camry car and about entering the school gate when the rampaging gunmen blocked her way.
Cross River: Police inspector, cultists die in gun battle
A Police Inspector, Edet Archibong, was Tuesday night shot dead in a gun battle between suspected cultists and the police on Nkwa Street, Calabar South Local
Government Area. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in the state, Tunde Gbolarumi, disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the police headquarters in Calabar on
Wednesday. He said on Tuesday at about 9.30 p.m. suspected cultists engaged in a gun battle with policemen on routine patrol at Nkwa Street, killing one inspector
while sergeant Awo Obongha sustained bullet wounds and presently receiving treatment at the hospital.
Gunmen kill 2 policemen, injured 2 in Kaduna
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have killed two policemen and injured two other persons at a checkpoint on the Kagoro-Gidan Waya Road, in Kaura Local
Government Area of Kaduna State. Metro learnt that two of the six policemen who were manning the checkpoint, however, escaped unhurt. The bandits, it was gathered,
made away with two AK47 rifles belonging to their victims.
Suspects hide human heads in bread
The police in Lagos State have arrested two suspected ritualists with three human heads at Ipaja area of the state. The image maker in charge of the state police
command, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest to Metro. The suspects, Jamiu (24) and Yemi (32) (other names withheld), had reportedly carefully tucked the crushed human
heads in loaves of bread when they were intercepted by the police.
Kogi wages war on kidnappers, as police arrest 30
The Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has said the “Operation Total Freedom” special squad set up to fight crime in the state, has arrested over 30 kidnappers
who have been tormenting residents. This was just as the governor declared his readiness to defeat the menace of kidnapping in the state and restore sanity across the
21 local government areas of the state. Speaking on efforts aimed at combating crime, Bello, who spoke through his Director-General, Media and Publicity, Mr Kingsley
Fanwo, said the kidnappers were arrested around Obajana, in Lokoja Local Government Area and Itakpe, in Adavi Local Government Area of the state.
