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How ‘pastor’ brutalises woman, 90, Imam in Edo community

Published

5 months ago

July 20, 2024

How ‘pastor’ brutalises woman, 90, Imam in Edo community

Tempers have flared up in a riverine community, Ofukpo-Ekperi, in the Estako Central LGA of Edo State following a viral video of a man brutalising a woman in her 90s, Adishetu Atairu, and an elderly man, said to be the imam of the community, Musa Shaibu, and six others.

The video footage on WhatsApp and Facebook shows a crowd at night led by a man simply identified as Pastor Sharp-Sharp.

In one of the clips, the elderly woman with a walking stick was dragged to the middle of the crowd while a young man was yelling at her to sit down.

When she sat down on a chair, Pastor Sharp-Sharp was heard saying she should sit on the floor, even as another young man then kicked her legs, forcing her to fall to the ground.

In another clip, a man identified as the chief imam of the community is seen sitting on the bare ground while a young man removed his cap.

In another clip, a woman wearing a hijab was brought forward, and Pastor Sharp-Sharp was heard saying, ‘You killed Eshe and killed the wife’, and the woman said that she had something to say, but Pastor Sharp-Sharp cut her short, saying, “Not now, take her away”.

In another clip, another woman wearing a small hijab was also brought in and the pastor accused her that they were the two and then asked her to leave.

The crowd in the video was heard commending the pastor after humiliating his victims during the unfortunate incident.

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A resident of the community, Abu Buhari, told the Daily Trust in an interview that on July 5, his stepmother, Adishetu Atairu, and others were dehumanised and assaulted by Pastor Sharp-Sharp and his accomplices.

He said, like his stepmom, the community chief imam and other residents were also abducted by Pastor Sharp-Sharp in the middle of the night, using gun-wielding thugs. The victims were physically assaulted and made to confess to crimes they knew nothing about.

“On the faithful day, residents of my community went to bed as usual, only to be woken up by strange, gun-wielding men. The victims were dragged before a waiting crowd and accused of witchcraft. My stepmother was brutalised, humiliated and traumatised,” he said.

“The information I got was that the community youths who are vigilantes initiated a move to offer prayer for the community to progress. But the community members were not in support because of the gangsterism they employed in achieving it.

“They went ahead to contact one Pastor Sharp-Sharp whom, I learned, charged them fees. The youths said the pastor had been performing miracles in some areas. So against the wish of the community, they went and brought the so-called pastor and started unleashing terror on the people.

“The pastor organised a crusade in the midnight and perpetrated terror on those they claimed were witches and wizards.

“According to the information that was available to me, the youths wrote the names of the people they claimed were witches and wizards and handed them to the pastor, who in turn started calling their names out during his crusade.

“When the pastor called names of the people, the youths would go to the person’s house in the dead of night and forcefully bring them to the venue of the event and then proceed to assault and dehumanise them.

“Like in the case of my stepmother, they stormed our house, abducted her despite the injury she sustained on her leg and brought her to the pastor. They gave her a chair but the pastor commanded that she must sit on the floor, which she refused to do, saying she committed no offence.

“In order to force her to obey their so-called overseer, one of his boys tackled her and she fell down. That same treatment was meted on our chief imam and about seven other persons in the village.

“Because of beating and dehumanisation, some people ran away that night. And because of fear of the same treatment meted out to the victims, others started saying all sort of things they know nothing about.”

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According to Buhari, after the dehumanisation, the pastor forced them to pay sundry amounts ranging from N10, 000 and above for chaplain and some miracle medicines.

He said they reported the incident to the police, who asked them to submit a petition on the incident, detailing what happened.

He said after the petition was submitted, the pastor was arrested by the Police Area Command Office in Agenebode, Etsako East LGA on Wednesday, July 17.

“Ofukpo is a riverine community and in the rainy season, the people are cut off from the Ekperi community due to lack of access road,” he also said.

He called on the police and other relevant government agencies to intervene and bring the perpetrators to justice to avert communal and religious crises in the state.

Buhari said his stepmom and other victims are still in pain as a result of the beating and dehumanisation they suffered.

The spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed the incident, said, “Yes, the incident is confirmed, the police are aware of it.

“The pastor and one other person have been arrested and they are in police custody. The suspects have been charged to court.”

Reacting to the incident, the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria’s Amir (president) in Edo State, condemned the attack and called on the state government and security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Also reacting, Afemai Islamic Movement’s (AIM) Amir, Sheikh Ismaeel Danesi, called for justice for the people of Ofikpo community.

“Our people are peaceful. No one has the right to assault anyone, let alone old people who are innocent. Our culture forbids it, just as our religion is against it.”

On its part, the Edo Muslims for Equity and Good Governance, (EMEGG) commended the Nigeria Police and other security operatives for wading into the matter before it escalated.

The group’s coordinator, Sirajudeen Muhammad, assured Muslims in the state that justice for those humiliated will not be compromised.

He said religion is to save and not to harm, adding that the group will follow the case to its logical conclusion.

“The pastor and two others have been charged to court, we were at the court today and we will always be present at the court. The case has been adjourned to August 7, for hearing.”

– Trust

How ‘pastor’ brutalises woman, 90, Imam in Edo community

metro

Yuletide: Travellers want fare discount for road trips

Published

7 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Yuletide: Travellers want fare discount for road trips

Bemoan high fares

Passengers travelling to their country homes for the Christmas and new year day celebrations have urged the Federal Government to extend the free rail services announced early in the week to road transport routes across the country.

Some of the travellers who complained about the high fares called on the Federal Government to restore the 50 percent fare reduction on inter-state luxury bus routes granted to road passengers at this time last year.

The passengers who spoke at various terminals and loading stations of long distance road transport companies in Lagos, were reacting to the upsurge in fares to about N40,000 on luxury buses and N65,000 on mini buses going to the South-East.

Reports from some of the boarding stations revealed that upon hearing the announcement of free train ride, some passengers thronged the loading stations at various points in Lagos to benefit from the gesture, but were disappointed when they were informed that the offer did not cover road transport.

At Terminal 1 in Oshodi, Alafia, Jibowu, Mazamaza, and private stations in the Cele/Ejigbo axis, on Saturday, passengers bemoaned the high cost of travelling on both the big and small buses, disclosing that many people were not travelling because they couldn’t afford “the exorbitant fares the transport firms are collecting.”

Interestingly, a trip on board Toyota Sienna which used to attract slightly higher fare than on a typical mini bus, is the same at N40,500.

One of the passengers told our reporter one if the stations in Cele, “You press people should please tell (President Bola) Tinubu that poor masses cannot afford to go home this Christmas because there is no money in the country.

“(President) Tinubu should please repeat the 50 percent discount on long distance fares which some of us enjoyed last year to travel home.”

At the nearby Young Young Shall Grow station, a passenger who planned to travel to the east recalled how he took advantage of the 50 percent fare discount to travel from Abuja to Onitsha and back in 2023, and wondered why the Federal Government has not considered the re-introduction of the palliative this festive season.

According to the man who gave his name as Chinedu Uzoechina, his intention to travel to Anambra state and back with his wife and five children, has been stalled by the high transport fares being charged at the various terminals.

Uzoechina, who came to book for seats in advance, lamented, “I was hoping that the 50 percent fare discount that followed the increase in fuel pump price would be available this year, but that has not been the case this year. Forty thousand into seven is N280,000 for one-way luxury tickets.

“If you add the cost of coming back, it means I will spend nothing less than N560,000 on transportation alone for seven of us. Where will I get that kind of money? I have called my wife to inform her of the situation here (at the terminals in Cele).

“She is not happy that we are not travelling anymore, but what can I do?”

According to him, the only thing that can make his family travel again is if the Federal Government extends the free train ride offer to long distance road transport routes, like Lagos-east, or reduces the fares in collaboration with the operators.

Like Uzoechina, many other intending travellers were still hopeful that the government wiuld still intervene with a fare discount, even as they disclosed that they would either cancel the trips outrightly or reduce the number of tickets to be bought, if their hopes are dashed.It was learnt that the fares were slightly lower by about N2,000 at Terminal 1 where both big and mini buses have been loading for day and night trips at Oshodi.

Reacting to the passengers’ complaints about high fares at the terminal owned by the Lagos State Government, Damian Ezuma, the manager of Izu Chukwu Transport, blamed the situation on the rising cost of maintaining the buses as well as on the pump price of diesel, which he said, is as high as N2,000 a litre in some parts of the country.

“It is not our fault. The cost of maintenance is so high that it is only by the grace of God that some of transport companies still manage to keep their buses on the road these days. Do you know that one big bus tyre costs between N250,000 and N500,000, depending on the quality and brand?” Ezuma argued.

He confirmed that many intending travellers who heard about the free train services offer by the Federal Government have been coming to the terminal make enquiries on whether long distance-plying buses are part of the gesture and whether last season’s fare discount applies this year.

Many of them leave the terminal disappointed and deciding not to travel anymore, but opting instead to wait for a possible fare palliative from the government.

Also commenting on the reason for the high fares, a manager at Chisco Transport’s head office in Lagos explained that the unfavourable naira-dollar exchange rate has impacted on the prices of replacement parts and maintenance costs generally.

But a major factor is the fact that during the peak festive season, buses are usually full when leaving major cities like Lagos and Abuja, but are almost empty in their return journeys.

So some operators slightly adjust their fares upward to cover the losses incurred during return trips.

In 2023, the special fare discount by government through the luxury bus owners took effect on December 21, and lasted till the second week of January, 2024.

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Navy arrests 19 Nigerians attempting to reach Europe by hiding on ship

Published

9 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Navy arrests 19 Nigerians attempting to reach Europe by hiding on ship

The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT has successfully apprehended 19 individuals attempting to stow away on Europe-bound vessels.

In a statement issued on Saturday in Lagos, the ship’s Information Officer, Lt. Hussaini Ibrahim, disclosed that 15 stowaways were intercepted on Dec. 19 aboard the European-bound Moto Tanker (MT) KRITI RUBY. Another four were caught on Dec. 21 aboard MT MCC YANBU.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the stowaways boarded the vessels at night and concealed themselves in the rudder compartment while attempting to illegally migrate to Europe,” Ibrahim stated.

The Navy’s Quick Response Team (QRT), operating from ATLAS COVE and using the Falcon Eye Alignment under the Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness Facility, facilitated the interception of the 15 individuals near the Lagos fairway buoy.

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Ibrahim further explained that credible intelligence led to the interception of the additional four stowaways by Navy personnel deployed on escort duties aboard the vessel.

“The prompt response of the QRT saved the stowaways from exposure to life-threatening situations during the long voyage,” he added.

The first group of 15 individuals has been handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Port/Marine Command, Apapa, for further investigation and necessary action. The remaining four suspects will also be transferred in due course.

“The presence of stowaways poses serious security threats to maritime operations, including risks of smuggling, piracy, drug and human trafficking, among other maritime crimes,” Ibrahim noted.

He emphasized that under the leadership of Chief of Naval Staff Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, NNS BEECROFT will continue maintaining security along Lagos waterways and surrounding creeks to support safe maritime activities and economic growth.

Navy arrests 19 Nigerians attempting to reach Europe by hiding on ship

metro

Troops arrest four Ambazonian rebels in Taraba

Published

9 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Nigerian military troops

Troops arrest four Ambazonian rebels in Taraba

Troops of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 of the Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have arrested four suspected members of Ambazonian rebels in Taraba.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ambazonia is a rebel group operating in neighbouring Cameroon Republic.

A statement on Saturday in Jalingo by Capt. Olubodunde Oni, Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations, said the suspects were arrested at a hotel in Takum town.

The statement said that acting on credible intelligence, the suspects were tracked and apprehended.

According to the statement, during initial interrogation, the suspects confessed to being part of the rebel group involved in arms proliferation in exchange for cocoa with their Nigerian collaborators.

It said that four mobile handsets were recovered from the suspects now in detention undergoing further investigation.

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The statement also said that in another operation following actionable intelligence, troops deployed at Natilde community in Bantaji District of Wukari Local Government Area intercepted a truck with registration number WKR 66 BB, transporting 19 pieces of stolen pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).

It said that further collaborative efforts with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Wukari Division led to the recovery of an additional 11 pipes, bringing the total to 30.

“The recovered items have been handed over to the NSCDC Wukari Division for further investigation and necessary action.

“The 6 Brigade Nigerian Army will remain resolute in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property while ensuring the security of critical national infrastructure.

“We urge members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to enhance our collective efforts in maintaining peace and security,” the statement added.