NAIJAFEED

Monday, August 2, 2010

Man beheads son

Tension has enveloped the sleepy village of Akabor, Ahiara in Ahiazu Local Government Area of Imo State after 45-year-old Bernard Anyanwu beheaded his only son, Chikaodi, in a forest on Wednesday.

The incident, a reminiscent of the infamous "Otokoto" saga of Owerri, has sparked off fear and apprehension as some Akabor residents have started fleeing home for fear of being arrested.

The Otokoko saga emerged from the killing of one master Ikechukwu Okonkwo for rituals, which triggered a chain of violent protests in Owerri in 1996. Indigenes of Owerri, particularly the youths, women and children, took to the streets en masse to burn and destroy property believed to belong to suspected ritual killers who are today referred to as the Otokoto Seven.

The fearful Otokoto drama reached its peak in 1997, when about six men were publicly executed by firing squad over alleged armed robbery charges and ritual killings. Those executed were: Obidiozor Duru, Chidi Onuoha and Amanze Onuoha (brothers); Collins Ndulaka, Sydney Onyechege and Mac Donald Ebere. Former Military Governor of Imo State, Colonel Tanko Zubairu (rtd), quickly signed their death warrants in an effort to rid the state of the rising cases of suspected ritual killings.

In the latest case, police sources said the wife of the suspect, Charity, has already made a statement at the Ahiazu Police Station and that the suspect, a motor mechanic, is now being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Owerri, the state capital.

An eyewitness account narrated that Anyanwu had told the wife that he wanted their only son, aged 13, to accompany him to the nkporo (local name for the village's forest) near a river to fetch some woods for the repair of their dilapidated building.

But the suspect later returned from the forest allegedly carrying a cellophane bag containing human flesh with blood dripping down.

Confronted by an insane man on arrival to the village, the suspect was said to have rebuffed the insane man and proceeded home where, with the combined efforts of the insane man and another drunkard, the villagers were alerted .

The suspect was said to have overpowered those that initially came to arrest him on discovery of what the two men were raising alarm for. He was however arrested on Thursday, 24 hours after the incident by the police and Akabor vigilante group.

A native of the town who sought anonymity said Anyanwu once suffered from insanity and that a similar incident occurred in the same family two years ago.

Daily Independent

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

'No insolvency' in Nigerian state oil firm

Nigeria's Oil Minster, Diezani Allison-Madueke, has told the BBC the country's state oil firm is not insolvent.

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Prophet gunned down in Church

A 54-year-old prophet / founder of Celestial Church of Christ, CCC, Messiah Parish, Meiran, a suburb of Lagos, Prophet Olusola Oluwatuyi, was Tuesday afternoon, shot dead in his church during a meeting with a man, alleged to be a retired Police officer.

According to eye witnesses, the deceased, fondly called, Messiah by his members had informed the church's shepherd Evangelist, Ojelade Oludayo of his meeting with the retired officer and one Mr. Olaifa and warned that he does not want to be disturbed.

It was reported that Olaifa was the first to exit the meeting, leaving the retired Commissioner and the cleric behind.

Not quite long after Olaifa left the said meeting, the sound of a gun shot was heard as the retired officer was seen hurrying out of the premises. But when members rushed to the scene, they found Messiah in a pool of his own blood.

An eye witness, Mrs. Titilayo Awofisayo said she was washing her clothes, in the church premises when she suddenly heard the gun shot.

"Our founder, Mr. Olaifa and a retired ACP held a meeting for two hours. Mr. Olaifa was the first person to leave while our founder and the ACP remained upstairs. Suddenly, I heard a gun shot but I never knew where it came from. As I was wondering about this, the retired Police officer came downstairs with his two hands in his pocket demanding that I should accompany him to a nearby hospital but, I told him I was not properly dressed and I called another member of the church, Jide Oguntola to accompany him. I was restless till they came back and I asked him if there was something wrong and he kept saying, 'Messiah is my son'.

Immediately, I ran upstairs to see what happened but found our founder lying in a pool of his blood with a double barrel riffle and a revolver carefully placed on the table. I also found his two phones, office and car keys in the office.

I asked him what has happened and he responded that Prince (our founder) was fidgeting with the gun when it fired.

Immediatly, I ran outside to alert other people who also rushed to the scene but to my astonishment, the ACP had escaped after he told the sympathisers he was going to invite the Police.

I pursued him and found him by his car as he told me he wanted to go and call the Police . I dragged him to the church so he can explain what transpired between him and Prince (our founder). "

The said retired officer has been arrestd by the police and taken to the Criminal Investigative Division, Panti in Lagos.

Vanguard

Fuel Tanker explodes, kills 2 in Lagos

Commercial and social activities in and around Apapa, Lagos were abruptly brought to a halt Wednesday after a petrol tanker exploded into flames burning its driver and motor boy to death.

The incident, which happened on top of the decrepit Liverpool bridge at about 2 p.m., caused a traffic jam as pedestrians and motorists were seen trekking long distances to their destinations.

Eyewitnesses said the tanker, which registration number had been burnt beyond recognition before Vanguard arrived, was said to have climbed the bridge at a high speed, skidded, turned over, exploded and burst into flames.

Motorists and pedestrians who were at the spot when the incident occurred reportedly scampered for safety while those behind made a quick U-turn.

The identity of the driver and his motor boy could be ascertained as at press time, but sources said they were Northerners.

When Vanguard visited, a combined team of Policemen led by a Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mohammed Ali and fire brigade officials, were making frantic efforts to put off the inferno.

Eyewitness account

An onlooker, who would not want his names in print described the accident as avoidable, adding that the driver was the architect of his misfortune.

"I was at the foot of the bridge when the tanker sped passed us and we all wondered if something was chasing him.

"Minutes later we heard a loud bang followed by flames. When we raced up to the spot, we discovered that it was the same tanker that we had earlier talked about.

"The way these tankers move here in Apapa, especially when climbing this bridge, is totally against driving ethics. This is a bridge that is already falling apart and calling for repairs."

Vanguard

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

NDLEA intercepts N4b cocaine in Lagos

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday, said it had intercepted a container load of substance suspected to be cocaine.
The container, marked CMA CGM, ECM 78299-8, 22 GI, arrived the country via the Tin Can Island Port Apapa, Lagos, weekend, and was reportedly cleared promptly.

Vanguard learnt that the attention of plain clothed NDLEA operatives who were monitoring the clearance was aroused and they promptly trailed it to an undisclosed warehouse in Orile-Iganmu in Apapa where they demanded to know the content.

Apparently realising that the game was up, the agent was said to have called an unnamed Chinese industrialist at Ibadan informing him that men of the Nigerian Customs were demanding for additional N4million and he promptly arrived with the cash.

The Chinese man was reportedly arrested. Not wanting to go down alone, he also called his partner-in-crime in Kano State, informing him that Customs men were still demanding an additional N1million to release the container.

The partner also flew in with the cash, and into the waiting hands of NDLEA officials.

Vanguard gathered that the two foreign industrialists were, yesterday, still briefing the anti-drug agency about their respective involvement in the illicit trafficking.

Their stash of cocaine was masterly concealed in customized plywood used as floors and packed in the containers weighed 450.4 kgs; with its street value put at a whopping N4billion.

Chairman of the anti-drug agency, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, who was flanked by his Director-General, Otunba Laren Ipinmisho, told newsmen at the Shaw Road, Ikoyi, head office of the agency that the present seizure was the second largest in the annals of the agency.

Security reports

He said that operatives had received security reports about the movement of the vessel which carried the particular container and had patiently kept watch at the port.

It will be recalled that similar quantity weighing 14.2 tons was equally seized at the same port in 2006.

NDLEA chairman said: “We received intelligence report about the consignment which originated from Chile and passed though Peru, Bolivia and Antwerp in Germany to Tin Can Island Port and we kept tab on it. The drug was neatly concealed in customized floor wood in a container. The container was cleared and taken to a private warehouse in Orile-Ignamu.”

Giade added that the clearing agent and other Nigerians involved in drug deals had been arrested to ascertain their level of involvement.

He said: “The agency and other security agencies which are also on the alert to prevent criminal acts capable of disrupting peace and stability in the country, are determined to send all drug barons out of circulation.”

Vanguard

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