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Plateau pastor arrested for burning colleagues’ cars over hatred

Published

1 year ago

January 12, 2023

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

Related Topics:Albarka Bitrus Cars Plateau pastor

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Police arrest 3 kidnappers, rescue 6-year-old victim in Katsina

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Depressed Delta lady kills self over hardship

Published

5 mins ago

May 7, 2024

Trends Admin

Depressed Delta lady kills self over hardship

A 34-year-old lady simply identified as Blessing has committed suicide in Warri, Delta State.

The deceased was said to have taken her own life after consuming sniper, a popular insecticide, and the go-to poisonous chemical substance for suicidal people.

Details of Blessing’s demise is still hazy but her friend simply identified as Ejiro, said the deceased had been battling chronic depression.

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The deceased also was said to have left behind a note, explaining why she took her own life.

In the note, she disclosed that life has been hard and no one has reached out to help her.

According to her: “She bought Sniper and drank it without anyone knowing. Before she drank it, she wrote a letter near her dead body, and she said in the letter that she was depressed. No help from family members and friends.”

At the time of filing this report, the remains of the deceased had been buried by her family members

Depressed Delta lady kills self over hardship

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Many injured as Police teargas Delta protesters

Published

37 mins ago

May 7, 2024

Trends Admin

Delta Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Edafe Bright,

Many injured as Police teargas Delta protesters

One middle-aged woman was shot while many others sustained varied degrees of injury in Ughelli on Monday as operatives of the Delta State Police Command resorted to forceful dispersal of a group of protesting women.

The women from Oteri-Ughelli in the Ughelli North Local Government Area were protesting against alleged incessant harassment and extortion by policemen in the community.

Eyewitnesses said what started as a peaceful protest turned bloody when the aggrieved women, in their hundreds, who had mobilised to the Police Area Command office in Ughelli to register their grievances, were rebuffed by the men and officers of the area command.

The women protesters carried placards with assorted inscriptions such “Oteri-Ughell is a peaceful community with law-abiding citizens, stop making life difficult for us”; “Police are making life difficult for our poor and innocent citizens”; etc.

But security operatives reportedly used heavy teargas against the unarmed women and shot one middle-aged woman in her left leg while others were beaten to stupor.

Two leaders of the protesting women, who volunteered to speak with journalists, Harvest Ugbhwiako and Mrs. Vivian Aphiare, alleged that the police unlawfully arrested and detained their children and wards who were on errands. She said they were made to part with between N150,000 and N200,000 to secure their release on bail.

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Also addressing newsmen at the emergency ward of the General Hospital, Ughelli, where some victims of the police gunshots were admitted, the President General of the community, Efe Peter, berated the police “for using guns with live ammunition against the peaceful protesters”.

He said, “The women from Oteri community were in peaceful protest to the palace of the Ovie (monarch) of Ughelli kingdom and the Area Commander to register their grievances.”

Efe stated that the Area Commander called him to appeal to the protesting women to go home, promising that he would look into their complaints, “but before I looked back, policemen started shooting and teargassing the women, thereby shooting one in the leg and injuring many.”

He lamented that “people of the community had come to notice, with worries, that they could no longer access their community nor come out from the community without experiencing extortion by policemen.”

“Whenever you come out of the community to Ughelli main town, once it is 8 o’clock in the evening, you cannot get motorcycles or tricycles to convey you any longer because of the police extortion.

“Consequently, our mothers and women trek home from Ughelli main market every day as a result of police harassment and extortions of money from motorists.

“Recently the police embarked on incessant arrest and vandalism of houses belonging to youths of the community and carted away their personal belongings, detained them and collected a huge amount of money from them without offence.”

When contacted, the Police Area Commander in Ughelli, ACP Adebayo, told journalists that his office “is looking into the complaints of the community with a view to sanctioning erring police officers and men.”

Many injured as Police teargas Delta protesters

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Six NSCDC officers arrested over N6bn fraud

Published

58 mins ago

May 7, 2024

Trends Admin

Six NSCDC officers arrested over N6bn fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested six senior officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps over alleged N6bn fraud.

The senior officers are currently being grilled by EFCC interrogators at the commission’s headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, The PUNCH can confirm.

Though details of the probe are still sketchy, our correspondent gathered that the NSCDC officers were handed over to the EFCC on Monday on the order of the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi.

Impeccable sources privy to the development but who were not authorised to speak to the press revealed that the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had earlier written a letter to the NSCDC CG, demanding the officers’ release for interrogation.

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A source revealed, “Six senior NSCDC officers are currently in our custody. They’re being grilled by our investigators over alleged fraudulent activities running into over N6bn.”

Confirming the development, another source said, “The EFCC did not arrest the NSCDC CG, neither is he being probed. We only have six senior NSCDC officers in our custody, and they’re being probed over alleged N6bn fraud.

“The EFCC Chairman had earlier written to the NSCSC CG to provide the officers, and the CG did. Now they’re in our custody and are being grilled by EFCC interrogators.”

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached for comments on Monday as phone calls and text messages to his phone lines were not responded to nor returned.

Meanwhile, when contacted for comments, the spokesperson for the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, said he was not aware of the development.

“I’m not aware of this,” Afolabi said in a terse WhatsApp message sent to our correspondent on Monday.