Metro
Vigilantes allegedly execute two men in Enugu, label them robbers
Two men, Stanley Omeke from Aguibeje community and Igbonasi Odo-Okoro of Aji community in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, were reportedly executed by the Aji community’s neighbourhood watch on December 16, 2024.
The vigilante group later alleged that the victims were highway robbers who were shot dead during a gun battle, but their families insist the accusations are baseless and are demanding justice.
According to Nmesoma Omeke, Stanley’s wife, the tragic incident occurred after she and her husband had gone Christmas shopping.
She recounted that around 5 p.m., as they waited for a commercial motorcycle at Aji Junction to take them home, members of the local neighbourhood watch approached and began shouting at her husband, demanding that he follow them.
When she and her husband asked what he had done, the vigilantes refused to answer and started assaulting him.
“They wouldn’t explain what he had done. I told my husband to go with them to avoid being beaten, and I rushed to inform his friend, Kingsley Igbonasi, about what had happened. Kingsley left to find out what was going on, but neither of them returned,” she said.
Igbonasi’s wife later revealed that her husband had gone to the vigilante office to inquire about Stanley’s arrest, but he never made it back home. The following morning, rumours began circulating that both men had been executed by the vigilante group at Okpo Union Primary School in Aji.
When Kingsley’s stepbrother, Arinze Odo-Okoro Onuwa, heard the news, he immediately went to the vigilante office but found no trace of the two men. The family then filed a missing persons report at the Igboeze North Police Station.
“The next day, we started hearing rumours that the vigilantes had taken them to a school and shot them dead,” Arinze said.
He also dismissed the vigilantes’ claim that the two men had been caught robbing vehicles on the highway.
“We live in this community. If there had been any robbery, everyone would know. This is nothing but a fabricated story to justify their actions,” Arinze said.
Stanley’s brother, Jude Omeke, received a call on December 17, informing him that his brother had been killed by the vigilantes.
He told Daily Sun that when he contacted the Divisional Police Officer in Igboeze North, he was informed that two bodies had been brought in by the vigilantes. The vigilantes claimed the men were highway robbers killed by soldiers but later admitted in a statement to the police that they had killed the men themselves during a gunfight.
Jude questioned the credibility of their account. “Where is the gun my brother supposedly used? If there was a gunfight, where are the weapons? My brother is not a criminal.
“This was a planned killing. This kind of killing is becoming too common. The authorities must step in and put an end to it. We cannot allow vigilantes to continue taking lives without consequence.”
He further disclosed that Stanley had an ongoing court case involving the vigilantes, suggesting that the execution might have been a targeted act of revenge.
On his part, Arinze criticised the vigilantes for acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
“Even the government doesn’t execute criminals without a trial. What gives a vigilante group the right to kill? If someone commits a crime, you take them to court. This is murder, plain and simple,” he said.
The killings have left both families devastated and seeking answers.
Nmesoma, who has two young children, expressed her heartbreak, saying, “I don’t know if my husband is dead or alive. All I want is the truth. My children need their father, and we deserve justice.”
The families of Stanley Omeke and Kingsley Igbonasi Odo-Okoro are now appealing to the Inspector General of Police, the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and ensure justice is served.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, said he was not aware of the incident as he does not have such a report.
Metro
SAD! Man Stabbed To Death During Rice Fight On New Year’s Day In Delta Community
An unidentified man has been stabbed to death by another in the Ogwanja area of Sapele in Delta State.
The incident occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day, reports said. It was learnt that he was killed following an altercation over rice which did not get.
The deceased had reportedly had an argument with another in the area, leading to a physical fight between them.
The suspect killer, whose name residents of the area have refused to disclose reportedly picked a bottle and stabbed the deceased multiple times.
The deceased bled profusely until the vigilante rushed him to the hospital and abandoned his body there.
The remains of the deceased had been taken to a mortuary.
At the time of this report, the Vigilante has refused to disclose the names of the suspects and that of the deceased.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe is yet to pick up phone calls as well as reply to text messages sent to him to confirm the report.
DAILY POST
Metro
Commuters groan over relocation of Yenagoa motor parks
Commuters in Yenagoa are groaning over the directive by the Bayelsa State Ministry of Transport to relocate all motor parks operating within Yenagoa and its environs to the new transport terminal at Igbogene in Yenagoa.
Commuters have described their ordeal before getting to their respective destinations, particularly, during this festive season distressing and have expressed dismay and outright annoyance over the insensitivity on the part of the state Ministry of Transport to their plight.
Some said the state government ought to have called all the gazetted transport unions across the state to a roundtable discussion on the matter before embarking on the forceful relocation of the motor parks to Igbogene.
A commuter, Mr Douye Wikimor, noted that the enforcement of the directive by stern-looking security operatives at the motor park at the popular Tombia Roundabout is a misplaced priority and a complete miscalculation on the part of the state Ministry of Transport.
He added that other commuters like himself will have to pay double transportation fares before arriving at their destinations.
Wikimor urged the state government and other relevant stakeholders in the transport sector to re-think and consider the stress and pains the gazetted transport unions and commuters will bear as a result of the sudden and forceful relocation.
President of the Federal University, Otuoke Students Union Government, Comrade Azubike Ekene, said the relocation will cause a lot of inconvenience and pain to students of not only the university but also those of the Niger Delta University, Amassoma.
Ekene said the policy is not bad, especially when viewed against the backdrop of sanitising and decongesting the motor parks within Yenagoa and its environs, but pointed out that the execution of the policy is ill-timed as the planners did not take into consideration the plight of students in the state.
He warned that the student union body will embark on a peaceful protest if the relocation policy is not reconsidered.
In the same vein, another commuter, Tekena Kio, condemned the relocation and centralisation policy, noting that the policy will negatively affect the gazetted transport unions in the state, commuters and small and medium-scale businesses operating within and around the various motor parks.
Kio said the policy will also create room for crime and criminality as the employees of the gazetted unions will be thrown back into the labour market and the motor parks will turn to hideouts for criminals, thereby leading to insecurity in the state.
He averred that it will also affect the internally generated revenue profile of the state from the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and the National Union of Road Transport Workers.
He said, “I am a commuter going to Delta State and I used to travel with Agofure buses, but I am surprised that I came to their park this morning to see that the park is under lock and key.
“In this 21st century, the government locked up a private park and business and forced them to relocate to their park which is uncalled for. By our constitution, everybody is allowed to go about their respective businesses without harassment from any quarter.
“Other Bayelsans are in other states doing their legitimate businesses. Agofure built this property to do his legitimate business. I appeal to President Bola Tinubu to wade into the matter and solve the difficulty commuters and private park owners are going through in Bayelsa State.”
Secretary of the Bayelsa State branch of the RTEAN, Comrade Anengima Jonah, bemoaned the policy as the terminal is not built for vehicles of transport unions, but for executive and government-owned transportation schemes, noting that the policy will kill private businesses around the various motor parks.
Jonah said that the gazetted transport unions have succeeded in mopping up large numbers of unemployed youths across the state and urged the state government to have a solid discussion with the unions before going further with the enforcement order, as that is the surest way to resolve the vexing issue.
Metro
2024: Police arrest 575 suspects, recover 142 items in Sokoto
Sokoto State Police Command says it arrested 575 suspects for various crimes and the recovery of 142 items including weapons in 2024.
This was contained in a statement on Wednesday in Sokoto by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ahmed Musa.
Musa said the suspects comprised those involved in culpable homicide, rape, vandalism, drug abuse, theft, fraud, rustling, and robbery.
He added that the 142 items recovered included a General Purpose Machine Gun, GPMG, with six rounds of live ammunition, nine AK-47 rifles, three magazines, and 341 rounds of live ammunition.
“Today, I can confidently say that we have made significant progress in reducing these crimes to the barest minimum.
“We have implemented innovative strategies to address emerging security challenges, strengthened community partnerships, and enhanced the welfare and training of our officers..
“These achievements were guided by intelligence-led policing, community engagement, increased visibility, and adherence to police ethics.
“We also worked in synergy with other security agencies while upholding the rule of law,” he added.
He applauded the State Government for donating 34 Toyota Hilux vehicles and other support to the command for effective operations.
“We also received one Toyota Hilux and five Hunter motorcycles from the Force Headquarters in Abuja. These have been deployed to areas of need, enhancing the command’s operational capabilities,” Musa said.
The PPRO emphasized the commitment of the command to continue to ensure safety and security in the state.
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