The police said two of the accomplices, Mailale and Bitrus, were arrested, while effort was ongoing to arrest Aye. Punch
A Jos-based pastor, Albarka Bitrus, has been arrested by operatives of the Plateau State Police Command for burning two cars and a bicycle belonging to other clerics whom he claimed hated him.
The spokesman for the command, Alabo Alfred, in a statement on Wednesday, said Bitrus disclosed that on January 4, 2023, he set ablaze a Mercedes Benz, a Toyota car and a bicycle, parked at ECWA Bishara 3, Jenta Apata, Jos, owned by his colleagues because they hated him.
Alfred said the suspect also confessed to organising his own kidnap and demanding ransom from members of his congregation.
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“The Plateau State Police Command has again uncovered the nefarious acts of one Pastor Albarka Bitrus Sukuya of Jenta Apata, Jos, who on several occasions staged his kidnap with his cohorts and received ransom from sympathising members of his congregation.
“Sequel to his spurious kidnaps of November 14, 2022, and November 30, 2022, when the sums of N400,000 and N200,000 were respectively paid by his sympathisers as ransom for his release, the incidents triggered suspicion.
“Through credible intelligence, the cleric was invited by the DPO, Nassarawa Gwong Police Station, CSP Musa Hassan, and investigation commenced immediately. In the course of investigation, it was established that the suspect had been conspiring with his gang to stage his kidnap and fraudulently collecting ransom.
“On interrogation, the suspect confessed to have committed the crime and mentioned the following persons as his accomplices: Baruk Mailale, Nathaniel Bitrus, and Aye (surname unknown),” the statement added.
The police said two of the accomplices, Mailale and Bitrus, were arrested, while effort was ongoing to arrest Aye. Punch
Relief as 386 persons abducted in 2014 rescued from Sambisa Forest
No fewer than 386 people, mostly women and children, have been rescued by the Army in the Sambisa forest ten years after their abduction.
The acting GOC 7 Division, Brig. Gen. AGL Haruna, made this known while speaking to newsmen at the outskirts of Sambisa forest in Konduga LGA after welcoming the troops that conducted the 10-day operation.
Haruna said that the operation tagged “Operation Desert Sanity 111” was to clear Sambisa forest of the remnants of all categories of terrorists as well as provide some of them eager to surrender as observed the opportunity to do so.
“Our effort is to ensure that we clear remnants of terrorists in the Sambisa and give those willing to surrender the opportunity to surrender.
“With this operation, we envisage many of them will surrender as they have started.
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“We also rescued some civilians; as of yesterday, we rescued 386 and I am sure the number will increase by today,” Haruna said.
The GOC, who addressed the troops on the message of the Chief of Army Staff, lauded their performance and professionalism exhibited during the operation and urged them to sustain the tempo.
Some of those rescued who spoke, said they have been in captivity for the past 10 years.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that troops from 21 Special Armoured Brigade, 26 Task Force Brigade, and 199 Special Forces participated in the operation.
Truck crushes many vehicles on Imo varsity junction, five killed
Owerri- An unidentified Truck driver, on Saturday crushed scores of passersby, passengers and vehicles at the Imo State University, IMSU, junction, Owerri, Imo state.
Eyewitnesses who spoke to newsmen in Owerri said the incident happened at 08:15 Pm.
According to them “A reckless truck driver has crushed and some sustained injuries of over 25 persons at IMSU junction. This happened at about 08:15 pm. Four minibuses were hit by this truck.”
One Mbamara Uju, a trader at the IMSU, junction said: “Two things are involved, I suspect the truck failed to break. Secondly, The driver of the truck may have not observed the traffic rules. What we heard was a sound like a bomb hitting about 4 vehicles, crushing passersby and those inside the buses.
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“People started running as the truck continued to crush on the buses and human beings at a point stopped. This is a very terrible scene. We are pained. God help us.”
Another shop owner at the scene, a lady, Chizoba, said: “Immediately I crossed the IMSU, junction heading to IMSU, front gate I started hearing vehicles hitting each other and the next was people crying and blood flowed everywhere. They said the driver was driving recklessly and blowing his horn and you know the way this our IMSU junction is always looking crowded. Before you know it, the truck crushed many and damaged the vehicles.”
She further said; “Some spirited individuals collected some of the bodies that were still breathing and drove to a nearby hospital. Some people with minor injuries were taken to pharmacy shops around IMSU for immediate medical attention.”
At the time of filing this report, residents were said to have trooped to the IMSU, junction in search of their loved ones.
EFCC hands over $22,000 recovered from Nigerian fraudster to FBI
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) handed over $22,000 recovered from convicted internet fraudster Hakeem Ayotunde Olanrewaju to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday in Lagos State.
The anti-graft agency announced this in a statement issued on Saturday evening.
According to the commission, Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, ordered on August 15, 2023, that the money recovered from Olanrewaju, who was sentenced to two years imprisonment for identity theft and impersonation, be restituted to his victim in the United States.
During the handover ceremony in Lagos, the Acting Director of the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC, Michael T. Wetkas, reaffirmed the Commission’s dedication to combating crime and restoring integrity to the nation.
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Wetkas said, “We are delighted to be handing over this proceeds of crime today. The EFCC is willing and always ready to do more.”
Responding, the FBI Legal Attaché, Charles Smith, said that “The EFCC and FBI work collaboratively together, and it is thanks to the EFCC that we can recover funds of this nature, especially from Business email Compromise, BEC.
“This type of crime cripples businesses in the US, and for them to recover the money within one to two years gives hope to the affected companies and brings some level of justice, even if not all subjects have been identified.
“We hope our relationship continues and fosters a more cohesive partnership between the two agencies. If there’s anything the FBI can do to support this investigation, we will do so.
“We appreciate this on behalf of the FBI and thank the EFCC.”
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