metro
Mother arrested over death of 2-year-old daughter left at home to visit boyfriend
Mother arrested over death of 2-year-old daughter left at home to visit boyfriend
An Indianapolis mother is facing neglect charges after the death of her 2-year-old daughter.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, 33-year-old Chantell Gardner is charged with neglect, resulting in the de@th of 2-year-old Skylar Gardner.
Chantell had left her two kids, aged 2 and 4, at home alone while she visited her boyfriend for several hours.
According to reports, she usually returns from her boyfriend’s house for brief periods to check on her kids.
When she did her routine check in last week, she found her daughter de@d and called the police.
A probable cause affidavit revealed on Jan. 25, officers responded to a call placed by the woman, who reported finding her daughter unresponsive underneath a dresser in their apartment.
When officers arrived at the scene, the woman claimed she had been preparing dinner and had called for her children—her 4-year-old son and her 2-year-old daughter—to eat. While the son came, the girl did not respond. After searching the home, the woman told police she found her daughter cold to the touch and not breathing.
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In an attempt to save her daughter, she said she carried her daughter outside and called 911 while also contacting her boyfriend.
Upon evaluating the apartment, officers conducted a protective sweep. They noted trash scattered throughout the living space, human feces on the walls and furniture, and a strong odor of rotting food permeating the air.
Minutes later, emergency medical personnel arrived and pronounced the child dece@sed. The paramedics noted that she was cold, and rigor mortis had already set in.
Upon examining her body, medical personnel observed bruising and injuries on her face, arms, legs, back, and vagina. In addition, IU Health Riley Children’s Hospital’s Child Protection team confirmed the child had a large puncture wound to her neck.
During the investigation, the mother and her boyfriend were transported to the IMPD Child Abuse office.
According to the affidavit, the boyfriend reportedly told police that the mother stays at his residence every night and the kids are not usually with her. He said they were at his residence once a week at most.
When detectives spoke with the mother, she reportedly told police that she leaves both her children at home alone for multiple hours a day. She said she would check on them once a day to bring them food and drink.
She also told police that she last bathed the kids a week or two weeks ago. She said when she checks on the children she sees feces on their hands and feet and that her daughter’s vagina was red and swollen because of her pampers.
The mother allegedly said that she knew she neglected her daughter but did not physically harm her. She also admitted to spending seven nights a week at her boyfriend’s house while leaving the kids alone.
The mother denied all allegations of s£xually assaulting or physically harming her children.
The mother was jailed on a preliminary neglect of a dependent charge.
Mother arrested over death of 2-year-old daughter left at home to visit boyfriend
metro
Schoolboy Foils Kidnap Attempt After Suspect Uses Father’s Name to Lure Him
Schoolboy Foils Kidnap Attempt After Suspect Uses Father’s Name to Lure Him
EDJEKOTA-OGOR, DELTA STATE — A schoolboy identified as Marvellous has reportedly escaped a suspected kidnapping attempt after a commercial motorcycle rider allegedly tried to lure him away by claiming that his father had sent him.
The incident occurred in Edjekota-Ogor community in Delta State, where the unidentified motorcycle rider reportedly approached the boy and attempted to gain his confidence by mentioning his father’s name.
The suspect allegedly told Marvellous that his father had instructed him to pick him up, apparently hoping to deceive the young boy into following him.
However, Marvellous reportedly became suspicious of the rider’s claim and refused to go with him, thereby foiling what could have been an abduction.
Following the incident, community leaders reportedly intervened to ensure the boy’s safety and facilitate his return to his family.
The President-General of Edjekota-Ogor community subsequently directed the community’s Secretary-General to take necessary steps to protect the boy and reunite him with his relatives.
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Acting on the directive, the Secretary-General reportedly contacted members of Marvellous’s family and successfully ensured that he was returned safely to his relieved parents.
The incident has drawn attention to the need for increased vigilance among parents, guardians and community members over the safety of children.
Parents have been urged to educate their children never to follow anyone, including familiar-looking strangers, without first confirming such arrangements directly with them.
Children should also be taught not to rely solely on someone mentioning their parents’ names as proof of familiarity or authority.
The identity and whereabouts of the suspected motorcycle rider were not disclosed in the account of the incident.
Schoolboy Foils Kidnap Attempt After Suspect Uses Father’s Name to Lure Him
metro
Tragedy in Benue: Four Dead, 14 Hospitalised After Consuming Suspected Poisonous Herbal Mixture
At least four persons have died, while 14 others have been hospitalised after allegedly consuming a suspected poisonous herbal mixture in Oju Local Government Area of Benue State.
The victims, residents of the Igede community, reportedly bought the herbal preparations from three men during the Ihiejwo market day in Oju township last weekend.
The incident sparked panic in the community on Monday, November 2, after several residents who had consumed the preparations reportedly began developing similar symptoms.
According to eyewitness accounts, the first victim died on Tuesday morning, while the second died in the early hours of Wednesday. Two additional victims reportedly died on November 4.
Fourteen other persons were said to have been taken to different hospitals for medical attention, with some reportedly in critical condition.
The suspected herbal mixture sellers were identified as Alhaji Sule Mai Magani, Bello Mohamed and Musa Kala.
Following the incident, members of the Igede Youth Council, working with the Oju Local Government Area Township Youth leadership, reportedly apprehended the three men and handed them over to the police.
The suspects were subsequently transferred from the Oju Divisional Police Headquarters to the Benue State Police Command in Makurdi for further investigation.
President of the Igede Youth Council, Comrade John-Frank Ozzidi, called on the Benue State Government to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident and bring anyone found responsible to justice.
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Ozzidi commended members of the community for resisting the temptation to take the law into their own hands, despite the anger generated by the deaths.
He said the decision to hand over the suspects to the police demonstrated the community’s confidence in the ability of security agencies and the government to ensure justice.
The youth leader also appealed to political officeholders from the area to monitor the investigation and ensure that the circumstances surrounding the suspected poisoning were fully established.
Chairman of Oju Local Government Area, Jackson Ominyi, confirmed the incident but said he was initially unable to establish the exact number of fatalities.
He disclosed that the local government had mobilised its security and health officials to manage the situation and ensure that affected residents received medical attention.
Ominyi also said the suspected sellers had been arrested and transferred to the police headquarters in Makurdi.
Meanwhile, the incident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of unregulated herbal preparations sold in local markets and the need for stronger monitoring of products consumed by members of the public.
The authorities are expected to establish the actual substances contained in the preparations and determine whether they were responsible for the deaths and illnesses.
The police investigation is also expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the sale and consumption of the suspected poisonous mixture.
Tragedy in Benue: Four Dead, 14 Hospitalised After Consuming Suspected Poisonous Herbal Mixture
metro
CSU CERTIFICATE CONTROVERSY: How Ex-Lecturer Inadvertently Indicted Himself Over Claims Against President Tinubu
CSU CERTIFICATE CONTROVERSY: How Ex-Lecturer Inadvertently Indicted Himself Over Claims Against President Tinubu
LAGOS — A fresh controversy surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic credentials at Chicago State University (CSU) has taken an unexpected turn, following explosive claims made by a former lecturer at the institution, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse.
Pearse, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and governorship aspirant, publicly accused President Tinubu of never attending CSU, describing the Nigerian leader in harsh terms during a broadcast interview on News Central Television. Pearse claimed that as a former lecturer at CSU, he had direct knowledge of the institution’s records and served as the director of the program Tinubu reportedly attended.
However, Pearse’s allegations have sparked fierce backlash after key details of his timeline emerged, leading political analysts and presidential aides to conclude that the former lecturer effectively indicted himself.
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The Discrepancy in Timelines
During his broadcast appearance, Dr. Pearse disclosed that he served as a lecturer and program director at Chicago State University between 1985 and 1990.
Official records previously confirmed by Chicago State University establish that President Bola Tinubu attended the university between 1977 and 1979, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in June 1979.
The six-year gap between Tinubu’s graduation in 1979 and Pearse’s arrival at the university in 1985 has drawn significant scrutiny. Critics point out that Pearse was not present at CSU during the years Tinubu studied there, undermining his claim of personal first-hand knowledge of student enrollments during the late 1970s.
Presidency and Allies Respond
Reacting to the allegations, aides to President Tinubu and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) cited major flaws in Pearse’s narrative.
Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, highlighted the timeline mismatch, noting that a lecturer who joined CSU six years after a student had already graduated could not authoritatively claim personal knowledge of that student’s presence on campus.
“Facts are always scary to con-artists,” Olusegun noted, emphasizing that individual faculty members do not possess administrative ownership of an entire university’s historical database across different decades.
Furthermore, APC chieftains have demanded that Pearse retract his statement or face legal action for defamation, describing the allegations as politically motivated rhetoric aimed at heating up the polity ahead of future elections.
While certificate controversies have repeatedly resurfaced in public debate, legal investigations and past disclosures by Chicago State University have maintained that President Tinubu was indeed a registered student who completed his degree at the institution in 1979.
As public debate continues over the incident, Pearse’s attempt to present himself as the ultimate authority on the matter has instead turned the spotlight back onto his own timeline, leaving him to address the glaring inconsistencies in his claims.
For further context and analysis regarding public statements and legal responses to President Tinubu’s academic record controversies, you can watch Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse’s statement on Chicago State University records, which details the allegations and political reactions surrounding the issue.
CSU CERTIFICATE CONTROVERSY: How Ex-Lecturer Inadvertently Indicted Himself Over Claims Against President Tinubu
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