Metro
Rivers boils again as cultists k!ll Vigilante, Burn Councillor’s House
Gunmen suspected to be cultists have shot and killed a member of a vigilante group in Obele community in the Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The victim was a member of a local security outfit called the ONELGA Security Peace and Advisory Committee codenamed OSPAC.
It was gathered that the assailants had earlier razed the house of a councillor in the area while four others sustained gunshot wounds as a result of the shooting on Wednesday night.
One of the survivors of the shooting who gave his name as Eze told newsmen on Thursday that he was at home with his brother when suddenly gunshots rented the air followed by the sound of a motorbike in front of their house.
Eze said the assailants accused them of being informants giving information to security operatives before they were attacked.
He stated, “I stood up and said let me go and check the people. I saw boys working for one man nicknamed ‘Naked’ with guns and immediately told my brother to run. As we started running, they began to shoot at us.
“Now, they shot me, shot my brother, we are like four that they shot. I have not seen one up till now. We called the village if they had seen my brother, and they said they had not seen him.
“Nak€d is from Ibaa community (also in Emuoha). He was said to be on security surveillance, I don’t know. I am not a cultist.”
Continuing, he said, “They (the assailants) said that we were giving information. That is the last thing I heard in the community before I left. I don’t know who I am giving information to.”
Meanwhile, a former councillor in Port Harcourt ward 17, Chigozie Woka, a native of Obele, whose house was attacked and destroyed by the gunmen last Sunday, has also accused the same “Nak€d” of being behind the attack.
Speaking to newsmen, Woka said, “I served as a councillor in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area. What is happening in Obele today is unfortunate. Obele has been having a crisis because of this young man called Nak€d.
“This young man in question is not even from Obele. He is from Ibaa, and comes to Obele to take refuge. He called me on the phone to say I was working with the security agencies to chase him out of Obele. I told him I was not working with anybody because I didn’t have any plan like that.
“It was on a Sunday. I was in Port Harcourt when they called me that he had gone to my house with his OSPAC (vigilante) boys. This young man, if he is called for profiling as an OSPAC officer will not come.
“He went to my house, they told me he scattered everywhere, put the house on fire and I’m in Port Harcourt here. What is my crime? That I am working with security agencies.
Continuing he said, “These are the things happening in Obele. After he scattered my house and set fire to it, I went to the Divisional Police Officer in Rumuji. I have made an entry there.
“Today again, I am surprised that they were calling me that he had gone to my place to shoot some people in my community, that they were working with me and the police to chase him out.
“He shot four people, they can only see three, who are looking for a way to treat themselves. One, I don’t know if he is dead, they are calling me they cannot reach that one.”
While speaking on behalf of Nak€d, the acting Youth Chairman of Omuobu village in Ibaa, Achor Egberuwho, denied the allegation and rather accused Woka of sponsoring cultists to attack and kill Nak€d.
Speaking to newsmen, Egberuwho said, “It is laughable that a person like Chigozie Woka will stoop so low to say such a thing. Chigoze, supported by his paymaster, led this group of rascals to Obele on Sunday morning, if not for the grace of God, Chinanu Eleonu aka Naked would have died. He barely survived.
“Chigozie has been boasting that Obele will know no peace except the CDC chairman position is given to him.
“So the OSPAC are searching for the killers. No house has been razed down. We call on the public to go to Obele to see if any house was burnt and if any other person has been killed except the OSPAC member who was allegedly killed by Chigozie and his gang. Chinanu Eleonu did not destroy any house nor did he kill anybody.
“The OSPAC member who was killed was from Obele. His name I can’t ascertain now. The Rumuji Police Division has taken inventory of it. They are investigating it.”
As of the time of filing this report, our correspondent gathered that the killing of the OSPAC member, reported shooting of four persons and destruction of the house of the former councilor had been reported to the Rumuji Police Division.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe Koko, confirmed the killing and the attack on the councillor’s house.
Iringe-Koko however said she had yet to receive information on the shooting of the four others.
She stated, “ Yes, I can confirm that one person was killed and a house destroyed. An investigation is ongoing to fish out the culprits and bring them to book.”
Metro
Kogi monarch narrates how he jumped over his fence when Hoodlums raided his palace
The Etsu Lokoja, HRH Emmanuel Akamisoko Dauda-Shelika, Nyamkpa IV on Monday narrated how he jumped the fence to save his life when some suspected hoodlums attacked his palace and burnt his vehicle and property within the premises.
The palace which was located on plot 306, New Layout, Lokoja, was attacked by hoodlums at about 1:00am on Saturday, while the monarch narrowly escaped by scaling the fence.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the Nupe natives of Lokoja Development Union were planning to host the second edition of their end-of-the-year event, tagged: “Lokoja ‘24 Nupe Cultural Fiesta”, on Saturday, before the incident occurred.
The event was however aborted due to the unfortunate attack around 1:00 am, when many Nupe natives from neighbouring states had started arriving on the eve of the event.
Narrating his ordeal to our correspondent who visited the scene on Monday, the Etsu Lokoja, said: “It was around 1 am at night that I heard a big bang on my door and I woke up to check through the window, wondering what could have happened.
“Then, I suddenly saw wildfire coming out of my car as it had been set ablaze by attackers.
“I knew it was an attack on the palace, and could not come out because of fear of being attacked. So, I managed to come out through the back door and scaled the fence to save my life.
“Thereafter, I came out to the road and realised that all my neighbours in the community were on the ground trying hard to quench the fire. Unfortunately, the car was burnt as well as other property inside it.”
He explained that members of the planning committee for the event had a meeting till around 11:30 pm on Friday before departing to their various homes, lamenting that it was unfortunate that the cultural fiesta was aborted due to the ugly incident.
Dauda-Shelika appealed to the government and security agencies to investigate the cause of the attack and bring perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.
He, however, appealed to the Nupe natives in Lokoja to avoid any form of reprisal and continue to remain peaceful, law-abiding and allow government and security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation on the attack.
“We are appealing to His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, and security agencies to please use their good offices to investigate this unfortunate incident, and bring to justice whoever is concerned whether directly or indirectly.
“We also want government to kindly visit our issues by recognizing and grading the stool of Etsu Lokoja which had been in existence before colonisation.
“By officially recognising and grading Etsu Lokoja stool, we know everything will be laid to rest because that is the power of the government.”
When our correspondent visited the palace on Monday, a police officer on the ground declined to make comments as he claimed not to have not been authorised to speak on the matter.
Efforts to get the state police command to speak proved abortive as the Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, did not take repeated calls to his mobile number. He also did not respond to a text message sent to him.
Spirited efforts to get the Security Adviser to the state governor to speak on the development failed as he did not take repeated calls to his mobile phone number. He did not respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filling this report.
Metro
Two Die, Four injured In Edo Road Accident
Two persons were yesterday confirmed dead in an accident that happened in the Ikhinero community on the Benin-Agbor road in Edo State.
It was gathered that four other passengers in the affected vehicles also sustained various degrees of injuries
The Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Cyril Mathew, who confirmed the report said three vehicles were involved in the accident.
The Sector Commander who attributed the accident to overspeeding, cautioned motorists against excessive speed.
“The accident happened around 6:10 pm along the Benin-Agbor road by Guinness deport due to overspeed”.
He said six persons including two adult males and four adult females were involved in the accident, adding that two were killed while four others were injured.
He said the injured were rushed to the hospital for treatment, while the deceased were deposited at the morgue.
He however , charged motorists to obey traffic rules and regulations, avoid night journeys and being drunk, while driving and as well fasten their seat belt to reach their destinations safely during the yuletide.
Metro
Appeal Court Affirms 12-Year Jail Term for Businessman Over $1.4 Million Fraud
The Court of Appeal in Lagos has upheld the conviction and 12-year prison sentence of Kolawole Adedayo Erinle, a businessman found guilty of defrauding a foreign company of $1.4 million.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday, 19 December 2024, by a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, affirmed the sentencing of Erinle, alongside his company, Rinde-Remdex Nigeria Limited, on charges of conspiracy, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, and obtaining money under false pretence.
Erinle had been initially arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja on 11 March 2022.
However, following Justice Taiwo’s retirement, the case was reassigned to Justice Oshodi.
On 28 October 2022, Erinle was re-arraigned on the three-count charge, which included the false representation of himself and his accomplice, Edward Dada (still at large), as agents of J.E. Dunn, a construction company based in the United States.
They created a fraudulent domain name, jedunn.org, to deceive their victims into transferring $1,410,000.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had accused Erinle of perpetrating the crime in 2019 in Lagos, with the intent to exploit the fraudulent representation for monetary gain.
During the trial, Erinle admitted to being a convicted fraudster in the United States, where he served 23 months in prison for similar offences.
Although he initially denied the charges, he later expressed remorse, stating, “I am sorry.”
Justice Oshodi, after considering the facts of the case, convicted Erinle on 26 September 2023, sentencing him to 12 years in prison for obtaining money under false pretence.
The sentence was ordered to run concurrently, beginning from 10 February 2023. Erinle’s company was also fined N50 million and ordered to be wound up, with all proceeds forfeited to the Federal Government.
Erinle sought to appeal the conviction, but the EFCC’s counsel, T.J. Banjo, argued that the appeal lacked merit and urged the appellate court to dismiss it.
In the lead judgment, Justice Danlami Zama Senchi upheld the lower court’s ruling, stating that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Erinle’s appeal was dismissed, cementing the conviction and serving as a stern reminder of the consequences of financial fraud.
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