metro
Rivers Pastor Flogs TV Employee for Shortening His Airtime + photos
Glorious Abel, a staffer of the Rivers State Television (RSTV), has narrated how he was beaten and tortured by U. O. Miracle, founder of the Dynamic Flame of Fire and Miracle Ministries, for making adjustments to a lengthy broadcast programme.
Abel told FIJ that Miracle physically assaulted him with the help of some mobile police officers in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, on October 5.
“I was the broadcast operations supervisor on duty at the media house that night. My role was just to transmit programmes on air,” said Abel.
“On that particular night, the pastor had a programme which was to be aired. When I checked his material, the time duration was 37:30, approximately 38 minutes in media time.
“Normally, in the media, there is a time allotted for every programme. The time allotted for his programme was just 30 minutes, and there was supposed to be another religious programme after the pastor’s.
“What I did to save time was to remove the extra eight minutes so the pastor’s programme could be exactly 30 minutes.”
THE ATTACK ON ABEL
“When the pastor was watching the programme from his house, I think, he didn’t see a particular advertisement. It could be that the advert went off, as the time of the programme was trimmed,” Abel told FIJ
“I didn’t know whether there was indeed an advert in the programme or not, because I was not in charge of previewing programmes. My own focus was just the timing of each programme.”
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Pastor Miracle, who was infuriated by the time trimming, went to the RSTV studio to wait for Abel.
“After a while, when most of my colleagues had gone home, I heard a knock on my protector. When I went outside to check, I saw a strange face that wanted me to come outside, but I declined because it was late,” Abel narrated.
“I couldn’t go outside due to security reasons, since it was way past 9 pm. After declining to meet him, I went back inside to continue my work.”
“After a short while, I heard a couple of more persistent knocks on my protector. This time around, when I went out to check, I found out that it was one of our security guards on duty.”
“I asked him what was wrong and he said our general manager had asked him to pick up something from the reception stand. I offered to help him pick it up then pass it, but he insisted that I just open the door and he would pick up whatever he needed himself.
“Since he was a colleague and guard on duty, I didn’t suspect anything. I just opened the door for him.”
Abel thought he opened the door for a friend and colleague, but he had just played into the pastor’s hands.
“Immediately I opened the door, this guy gave a signal, and before I even realised what was going on, I just saw about five armed men, who I presume were mobile police officers based on their uniform, walking towards me,” Abel narrated.
“The next thing I knew, someone just slapped me from nowhere and gripped my shirt. I looked up and saw that it was the pastor.
“When I saw that I was overpowered, I tried to protect myself by running back into the building, as they were trying to pull me outside. I put up a struggle, so the uniformed men started hitting me on the head with the butt of their guns so they could render me unconscious and carry me to God-knows-where.
“They kept on hitting me with their guns until they overpowered me and successfully carried me into their waiting vehicle. The security guard was just looking while it all happened. He didn’t do anything. He was just watching.”
MIRACLE ABDUCTS ABEL, TORTURES HIM
Abel was taken to an unknown destination for further beating and torturing.
“They drove to an unknown location, which I was unfamiliar with, while one of the armed officers kept hitting me. When we got to the unknown place, I saw some people there laying on the floor,” said Abel.
“The next thing the pastor did was to remove my belt. He ordered one of the armed men to hold my legs and another to hold my hands. They pinned me down so I wouldn’t move.
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“Then the pastor started flogging me with my own belt. He flogged me till my belt literally cut in his hands. At that point, I could hardly stay conscious due to the pain.
“Even when my belt was in pieces, he requested for his cane, which he called the ‘Holy Ghost Koboko’, and continued flogging me. Though I didn’t count, the flogging was up to a 100 on my back.
“When he was done flogging me, he threw some money at me in the presence of his boys for treatment. I refused to pick the money, but when he insisted that he wouldn’t let me leave, I had to pick it.”
MIRACLE’S ASSISTANT SPEAKS
After the beatings and torture by the pastor, Abel was returned to his office.
“He ordered his boys to drive me back to my office, but this time, they didn’t drive into the compound. They just dropped me by the roadside close to my office, then asked me to walk across to my building,” Abel recounted.
“I walked back to my building in pain. My general manager was aware of the incident, as it had been reported to him by a colleague of mine who was also at work that night. He even tried calling me after the pastor and his guys took me away, but I wasn’t allowed to use my phone.
“It was when I was dropped off and got back to the office that I had the privilege to narrate the experience to him.”
FIJ attempted to speak with the pastor, but his personal assistant wouldn’t let it happen. On the first try, she said the “man of God” was in a spiritual conference.
On the second try, she said the pastor was in a meeting with some commissioners, and on the third, she denied the pastor’s involvement in the assault.
“No, no, no, he wasn’t the one that flogged anybody. That’s not what happened,” she said in the pastor’s defence.
“Our lawyers and journalists will paste what happened. Whatever you saw or heard is not the truth. The man of God never had issues with any staffer. We are surprised at what is going on.
“The manager of RSTV too has been calling us that he wants to reach the man of God, but he is not around, as he has been fasting. Don’t worry, you will soon hear from the man of God.”
Pastor Miracle was the same man arrested by his local government chairman for flouting COVID-19 restrictions and holding a service for over 100 people during the 2020 lockdown.
metro
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
One Onyeka Ubaka has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for sexual assault and maltreatment of a 16-year-old girl in Lagos State.
He was convicted and sentenced by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday.
Justice Rahmon Oshodi convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the two amended charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
Ubaka was initially arraigned on January 12, 2024, and was initially charged with defilement through one-count information filed on October 26, 2023, to which he pleaded not guilty.
In the court proceedings, the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, presented a single witness, the prosecutrix, whose testimony proved particularly significant in establishing the case against the defendant. The prosecutrix who provided a testimony, identified the defendant as her boyfriend and disclosed that she was 16 years old in 2023 and that her relationship with the defendant began in her mother’s shop.
The victim testified to the court that the defendant had multiple instances of sexual intercourse with her, which resulted in pregnancy and childbirth.
“The defendant is the father of my child. He impregnated me, and the child is five months old.”
According to PUNCH, the victim, during cross-examination, gave testimony evidence that incriminate the defendant.
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In one instance, she disclosed that the defendant took her to a bar, gave her yogurt to drink, and after she drank it, she lost consciousness. She further disclosed that she woke up in a hotel room and realised that the defendant had non-consensual sex with her and told her to keep the incident a secret.
At the court proceeding on Tuesday, Justice Oshodi disclosed to the court that the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, had informed the court that the parties had entered a plea and sentence agreement dated and filed on November 25, 2024. The court then charged and convicted the defendant on the amended charge of indecent acts and sexual assault to which the defendant pleaded guilty.
Justice Ramon, in his judgment, stated that the prosecution had established beyond a reasonable doubt the charges brought against the defendant, and found the defendant guilty of indecent act and sexual assault.
“From the evidence presented by the prosecution, I am satisfied that the essential elements of indecent acts and sexual assault have been established. There is an abundance of evidence to support this conclusion. The defendant’s guilty plea further justifies his conviction for the offences contained in the amended information.
“Therefore, I find the defendant guilty and convict him under Sections 134 and 263 of the Criminal Law Supra”, he ruled.
When asked what he had to say, the defendant begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
“Temper justice with mercy so that I will take care of my responsibility,” he appealed.
It is gathered that the defendant’s father had paid the sum of N300,000 and had undertaken to sponsor the prosecutrix first degree and take full responsibility for the child until the child is eight years old.
The prosecution counsel in her final statement asked the court to convict the defendant according to the plea bargain.
“We ask that the convict be sentenced according to the plea bargain agreement starting from the day of remand, March 23, 2023, and this will pass a message to society that sexual offenders are not tolerated in our society.
“We also ask that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register”, Okeowo said.
Justice Oshodi then found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to four years imprisonment.
Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos
metro
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
CSP Adetayo Akerele, Chairman of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, announced the arrest of 53 suspected criminals in Gowon Estate.
Akerele said this operation aimed to boost safety, security, and environmental decorum in the area.
“The agency apprehended drug peddlers, addicts; miscreants; street urchins; illegal street traders and people of shady business dealings.
“We found various illicit drugs and narcotics, including Indian hemp, codeine syrup, and colorado,” Akerele said.
The operation brings relief to residents of Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Egbeda, Idimu, and surrounding areas affected by these criminals.
“Residents have endured trauma and safety risks due to these unauthorized squatters.
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The taskforce is committed to safeguarding residents and ridding the metropolis of individuals preying on law-abiding citizens,” Akerele said.
The agency will monitor other criminal hideouts, blackspots, and abandoned properties.
“This vigilance aims to deter individuals with sinister motives.
“These arrests demonstrate our determination to maintain a safe environment.
“We will hold every individual involved in these illegal practices accountable,” Akerele said.
The 53 suspects will face charges for narcotics-related offenses.
Residents are urged to report suspicious activities through the “See Something, Say Something” initiative.
Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers
metro
Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada
Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday returned 21 luxury vehicles worth over N1.8 billion to Canada after they were stolen and smuggled into Nigeria by a criminal syndicate.
Speaking to Newsman in Lagos, Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized the seriousness of the growing trade in stolen vehicles and its impact on Nigeria’s economy and security.
According to Adeniyi, Nigeria has become a significant hub for stolen vehicles in West Africa, with syndicates exploiting the country’s ports and borders to traffic vehicles from regions such as Europe, North America, and South America.
He highlighted data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicating that only 54% of stolen vehicles were recovered between 2013 and 2015, illustrating the scale of the problem.
“This trend undermines our legitimate automotive market, strains our security infrastructure, and damages Nigeria’s international reputation,” Adeniyi said.
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He further noted that the illegal trade affects President Tinubu’s economic reforms, which aim to position Nigeria as a trusted hub for international commerce.
To combat this challenge, Adeniyi disclosed that the NCS launched Operation Hot Wheels, a collaborative initiative involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Canadian authorities, and international law enforcement agencies. The operation focused on intelligence sharing, surveillance, and interdiction to disrupt vehicle trafficking networks.
Adeniyi further disclosed that the operation uncovered sophisticated smuggling techniques, including false cargo declarations and containerized shipments used to conceal stolen vehicles.
During one operation, officers intercepted a container at Onne Port in Rivers State declared to contain used vehicles and spare parts. A physical examination revealed three undeclared 2021 Toyota Highlanders, two of which were confirmed stolen from Canada.
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