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Teenage artistes stab Lagos RCCG pastor to death during robbery
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested two minors, who claimed to be up-and-coming artistes, for allegedly stabbing a Redeemed Christian Church of God’s pastor, Babatunde Dada, to death.
The suspects, Farouk, 15, and Jamiu, 17, were paraded on Friday by the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu.
The minors were said to have attempted to dispossess the pastor of his valuables when they attacked him on the church premises in the Festac area of the state.
Odumosu said the suspects, after allegedly perpetrating the crime, fled to an unknown destination, adding that they were arrested in their hideouts in Ilorin, Kwara State, and Festac area.
He said, “The duo of Farouk, 15 and Jamiu, stabbed and killed one Babatunde Dada, 46, inside a church where he worshipped. The deceased/victim, until his death, was a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Festac.
“The suspects, after committing the murderous act, absconded to unknown places. However, following intensive and discreet investigation, the two culprits were arrested in their hideouts. The suspects during interrogation confessed to have killed the victim with a bottle and a stick. The exhibits used in perpetuating the dastardly act were recovered.”
Also, Odumosu confirmed the arrest of a suspected ritualist, Kolawole Sikiru, 41, who reportedly broke into the Sabo Cemetery along the Igbogbo Road, Ikorodu. After gaining entry, Sikiru was said to have dug a grave and removed the body parts of a corpse.
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The CP said Sikiru confessed to the crime during interrogation, adding that the body parts, a knife and a stick were recovered from him.
He added, “On December 7, 2021, around 11.30am, a suspected ritualist, Kolawole Sikiru, 41, was arrested with fresh human parts which he severed from a dead body at a cemetery. He further confessed that it was a yet-to-be-identified alfa who asked him to bring the body parts00 – wrists, heart and flesh – for ritual purposes. The body parts, a knife and a stick were recovered from the suspect.”
The CP also paraded two members of an Illegal security outfit, Citizens for Peace and First Aid Mission of Nigeria, for allegedly torturing a suspected armed robber to death in the Ikorodu area of the state.
The suspects, Israel Okon, 42, and Joe Charles, 35, including other fleeing accomplices, after allegedly killing the victim, reportedly dismembered his corpse and buried his skull in a shallow grave.
But Okon said the person whose skull was recovered was a suspected armed robber he arrested while working as a security guard at a company in Ikorodu.
He said, “I arrested the man whose head was chopped off. The man was an armed robber that robbed the hotel where I worked as a security guard. I arrested him around 1pm and the owner of the hotel called my commander who took him to our office but I don’t know how he died.
“After he died, I could not leave because the commander locked me inside and said we should bury the corpse. After we buried the corpse, they came back a week later, chopped off the head of the corpse and took it to a native doctor.”
Punch
metro
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
Early Wednesday morning, gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Ekenobizi, a border community between Abia and Imo states, located in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area.
The assailants reportedly arrived around 6:18 a.m. in a white Lexus SUV (model 350/400) and launched an assault that resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.
A military source, who wished to remain anonymous, provided details of the incident but could not confirm the exact number of attackers involved.
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Confirming the incident in a press release on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA said: “In the early hours of today, 13 November 2024, troops of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, deployed at a checkpoint along the Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, came under attack by the irredentist group Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network.
“During the attack, the gallant troops were able to repel the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray with gunshot wounds, abandoning one Sienna and one Lexus Jeep used in the attack. However, in the ensuing firefight, two soldiers paid the supreme price.”
The Joint Task Force appealed to residents of the South East, particularly those in Abia State, for credible information to help track down the fleeing attackers and combat criminal elements in the region.
The force reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property in line with global best practices and the rules of engagement.
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
metro
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
At least 94 illegal occupants and squatters along the railway corridor from Pen Cinema to Fagba were arrested by the Lagos State Taskforce in an early morning sting operation on Wednesday.
During the raid, substances suspected to be hard drugs—such as Indian hemp, colorado, and other harmful drugs—were seized, along with various weapons.
It was gathered that those arrested attempted to resist the task force’s actions.
In a statement, Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, confirmed that those arrested will face prosecution.
He added that the agency dismantled shanties and makeshift structures along the railway corridor, clearing a distance of some kilometers.
The Taskforce Chairman Adetayo Akerele explained that the eviction aimed to provide relief for residents around the Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes, following numerous complaints from the public about criminal activities in the area.
He noted that the squatting had violated environmental and sanitary regulations.
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Akerele also highlighted the health and safety risks posed by the presence of squatters along the rail corridor.
He warned the evicted individuals not to return and assured residents and train passengers that regular patrols and surveillance would be conducted to prevent the re-establishment of shanties in the area.
“The rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics. Anyone caught converting this place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law,” Akerele was quoted as saying.
Speaking on the raid, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that a locally fabricated short gun was recovered.
“94 suspects were arrested during the midnight operation; a locally fabricated short gun and several wraps of illicit substance suspected to be indian hemp, charm and a jack knife were recovered.
“The suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” Wahab stated in a post on X.
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
metro
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has swept out all Board, Parastatal, and Agency appointees from his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, in a decisive move to overhaul the state’s public service.
A statement released on Wednesday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, confirmed the immediate dismissal of all political appointees and Permanent Secretaries brought in from outside the state Civil Service.
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The statement reads:
“For the information of the general public, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has approved the dissolution of Executives of all Boards, Agencies, and Parastatals in the Edo State Public Service with immediate effect.
“In addition, all Permanent Secretaries appointed from outside the State Public/Civil Service and all Political Appointees are hereby relieved of their appointments.”
Affected individuals have been directed to return all government property in their possession to the senior Public Officers in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
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