Metro
Rivers court sentences two to death for ritual murder of 8-year old
A High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday sentenced Ifeanyichukwu Maxwell Dike and Ugochukwu Nwamiro to death for the ritual murder of eight-year-old Victory Chikamso. Justice Adolphus Enebeli in his judgement ruled that Dike, 200-Level Student of Physics at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) be hung on his neck till death while Ugochukwu Nwamiro should be hung on his leg until dead with no option of fine for both convicts. Police Sergeant Johnbosco Okoronze, who was found guilty of aiding and assisting the escape of Dike from police custody before being rearrested in course of his trial, was sentenced to one-year imprisonment. Justice Enebeli said he so sentenced Johnbosco Okoronze because he has served two years in prison already and has been dismissed from the poli...
68 travellers hidden in trucks arrested in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial Task-team on the enforcement of COVID-19 Restrictions, on Wednesday, arrested about 68 persons travelling through the territory from various parts of Nigeria. Confirming the incident in Abuja, the Chairman of the task force, Ikharo Attah, lamented the increasing rate in which people violate the ban on interstate travel as announced by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to him: “Drivers of the two Dangote trucks who were coming from Kano and Zaria after delivering goods, they now took passengers who were charged N1,500 each. “Owners of the trucks must do all to ensure their trucks which are meant for haulage of goods are not converted to be illegally transporting persons from one state to another, thus violating the lockdown directives of t...
Court issues bench warrant for arrest of two Sri Lankans
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory High Court at Maitama, on Wednesday, issued a bench warrant for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to arrest two nationals of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Trial Justice Olasumbo Goodluck ordered that the two Sri Lankans Messrs Saththiyaraj Kantharasa and Vinith Ukantharasa, should be arrested after they failed to appear in court to enter their plea to a criminal charge pending against them. They were accused of forging the passports, national identity card and driving license of the Republic of Malaysia, in connivance with their Nigerian partner, Anthony Adetokunboh. A statement that was signed by spokesperson for the Commission, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, disclosed that the trio were ...
Gunmen kidnap army captain, three others in Ondo, demand N20 million ransom
An Army Captain has been abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers along Auga/Akunnu highway in Akoko North-East Local Government of Ondo State. The Army Captain identified as D. Gana was abducted alongside three others. It was gathered that the kidnapped captain was on transit through the state from Abuja when the gunmen struck. The Auga/Akunnu highway in Akoko North-East Local Government Area of the state has been one of the flashpoints of kidnapping activities within the northern senatorial district of the state. Suspected herdsmen had been linked to most highway crimes perpetrated in the area. The hoodlums were said to have stopped the vehicles on the highway and dragged them into the bush, leaving the vehicle on the road. According to a source, the hoodlums did not pick any item f...
NSCDC intercepts 70 travel ban violators in Oyo
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command, on Wednesday, intercepted 70 travellers for allegedly violating the ban on interstate traveling. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the travellers, who occupied three trucks, were intercrpted at 12:52 a.m. at Ogbomoso High School in Ogbomoso South Local Government Area of the state. The state NSCDC Commandant, Iskilu Akinsanya, said that the affected travellers comprised of 69 males and one female. Akinsanya said the trucks with registration numbers, KBK 826 Kano, KTG 137 ZZ and AE61KKR were coming from Bauchi and Kastina States. The commandant said the trucks were heading to Bodija in Oyo State and Alaba in Lagos State and were also carrying 10 motorcycles altogether.He said that men and officers of the co...
Scores flee as bandits sack Niger communities
File Photo Bandits on Tuesday sacked three communities in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. It was learnt that Galkogo, Farindoki and Rafin seyin communities, made up of about 1,500 people, were forced to abandon their homes as a result of the attack. A source close to one of the affected communities said it began about 12 noon. It was gathered the bandits, numbering about 60, blocked all the entry routes into the communities to prevent the people from escaping. “It is possible the bandits just wanted to show force and at the same time disrupt movement today, being our major market day in Zumba town. “Nobody could go to market today from these three communities because they blocked every road in and out as people scampered to safety, all the vehicles that were heading to Zu...
Chinese nationals arrested for alleged N50 million bribe
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has apprehended two Chinese nationals for allegedly offering bribe to the head of its Sokoto zonal office and his investigating team. The Chinese, Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuoi of China Zhounghao Nigeria Limited, a construction company, were arrested in an operation that lasted four days. Parading the suspects on Tuesday, the zonal office head, Abdullahi Lawal, told newsmen the duo offered him and his investigating team the sum of one million naira to compromise him in an ongoing investigation into the company’s operations. “On May 7, 2020, I was contacted by the Managing Director, China Zhounghao Nig. Ltd, Mr Meng Wei Kun, in respect of an ongoing investigation against their company. I and my investigating team were offered the sum of N100m to compr...
Four herdsmen killed in fresh crisis with Tiv farmers in Nasarawa
A fresh clash between Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen has led to the death of four the latter in Kadarko community, Keana Local government area of Nasarawa state during the weekend. The clash occurred as a result of a fight that broke out between a Tiv farmer and a Fulani herdsman who encroached into his land, leading a herd of cows to graze on the farm land. The farmer who could not bear the sight of his crops munched by the herd of cows confronted the Fulani herdsman who in turn, brought out a machete and charged towards the Tiv farmer. The police command in Nasarawa state, through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ramham Nansel confirmed the incident and assured that investigation is being carried out on the killing of four Fulani herdsmen. The police spokesman said that the D...
Fear of ‘One million boys’ turn landlords to night guard
Tebogo Letsie/Associated Press Perplexed after the order by President Muhammadu Buhari on a total lockdown of Lagos and Abuja amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, residents of Egan-Igando area of Lagos state, who had always maintained their crowd in major meeting points, had to come to skepticism on movements and trading system. Egan-Igando, an area under the Alimosho Local government of Lagos state, is a community that houses home based residents, several businesses, shops, religious organisations, market places and a district police station ; all which are filled up with people during the usual routine movement. Nearly a week into the lockdown, reports on the robbery attacks perpetrated by the ‘one million boys’ gang has gotten to community residents with every household ensuring...
Rivers governor demolishes two hotels for flouting lockdown order
Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike on Sunday monitored the demolition of two hotels for flouting the state’s lockdown order. This was in line with the state executive order 6, which banned the operation of hotels across the 23 local government areas of the state. The hotels demolished are Prudent Hotel in Eleme and Etemeteh Hotel in Onne. Governor Wike who spoke to journalists shortly after the demolition said that the law must be obeyed, hence the decision to enforce it. He said: “Government has no alternative but to apply the executive order which I signed before the lockdown of Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt. I called all the traditional rulers and council chairmen and told them to ensure that no hotel operates in the state. “We are not saying it will be forever. This is for now, so that w...
Female passer-by burnt to death as tanker loses control on Ibadan expressway
A female passer-by was on Saturday night burnt to death in an accident around Lotto area of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Babatunde Akinbiyi, Spokesperson, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), disclosed this to newsmen in Abeokuta on Sunday. Akinbiyi explained that the incident involving a tanker loaded with PMS and a commercial Mazda bus took place around 8:03pm. on Saturday. “According to an eye witness, a PMS laden truck lost control on motion and hit the barrier. “The content immediately started gushing out and after a while the content caught fire and two other parked vehicles got burnt in the process. “Unfortunately, one adult female passer-by along the axis got burnt too,” he said. Akinbiyi disclosed that the PMS laden tanker, however, escaped the inferno. He added that ...
Abuja hotel says no space to lodge Nigerian returnees
The management of one of the hotels designated as accommodation for evacuated Nigerians from abroad in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic has denied being part of the arrangement. Last week in Abuja, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ferdinand Nwonye, listed Chida International Hotel, Bolingo, Apo Apartments, Royalty, Belvior and Barcelona Hotels, as designated accommodations for quarantine purposes. However, on Sunday, the management of Chida International Hotel, Abuja, said it was not part of the arrangement due to the non-availability of space. “It is pertinent to state that at present, Chida International, Abuja, is not part of the arrangement to accommodate evacuated Nigerians from abroad, though we were contacted by the ministry but could not proceed with the plan becau...
