Crime Facts

How popular Bayelsa baker was strangled to death

Fresh facts about how a popular Bayelsa based baker, Temple George, was strangled to death in his apartment along Old Mr Biggs Road, Opolo in Yenagoa Bayelsa State have emerged. According to neighbours account, the deceased, a 30 years old indigene of the Kalabari Kingdom in Rivers State, was reportedly strangled to death, on Friday night, by two yet to be identified assailants. Tribune Online learnt that the decomposed body of the late baker was later discovered by his friends, family members and landlord at about 4 pm, on Saturday, in his bathroom, after several calls put across to him by some of his clients failed. A close source told our correspondent, that “the deceased is a loner and doesn’t look for trouble, always busy with what he knows how to do best. You can never find him where you see people fighting or arguing because he rarely even have time for such. “He was a very good baker who won several awards in cake baking and was doing very well in his profession. He was trained some years back during a vocational skill acquisition programme sponsored by his church, Salvation Ministries, and since then he was progressing because of his ability to be very creative and simple.” Narrating what she witnessed on the night before the death of the baker, a neighbour said, “that same night I saw him with two people and I didn’t suspect anything because he was with them downstairs and they were talking normal, I passed and went to my own apartment to sleep since it was night. “Later I heard a shout but I didn’t know where it was coming from though I still made efforts to verify where the noise was coming from but I didn’t see anybody, so I slept off. ALSO READ: No case of abduction at Federal university Dutsinma in Katsina ― Management “It was in the evening when some people came to the compound to ask for him because they haven’t seen him in the office and that after severally calls to him without success, they had come to check on him. So at that point, we had to ensure the police came around before his door was forcefully opened. “I was surprised when we saw his lifeless body in the bathroom of his apartment. What has George done to deserve this kind of gruesome murder from unknown persons?” She asked. A close family source said that this is the third attempt on his life and that he has always fought hard to escape his attackers but this time he was unlucky. She said “it will never be well with those responsible for the death of their brother. Temple was a hardworking and industrious boy who does not give excuses for his work, he delivers early and perfectly. Oh, who did this, wicked world,” she added. Another neighbour said “he hasn’t stayed in this apartment for even up to a year and he liked to keep to himself always. They killed him and locked him inside the apartment. We wouldn’t have known if not for the people that came to look for him at home on that Saturday.” When Tribune Online visited the self-contained apartment, it was scattered in a manner that indicates that the deceased had a struggle before he was overpowered and killed. Meanwhile, authorities of the Bayelsa State Police Command, who confirmed the assassination, disclosed that they have launched a discreet investigation into the death. The Bayelsa State Police Command in a statement, signed by its Public Relations Officer, SP Asinim Butswat, said that the Commissioner of Police, CP Mike Okoli, has ordered for discreet Investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of Temple George, a popular baker in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The statement read “Preliminary Investigation reveals that the body of the deceased was discovered by his Landlord, on April 17th, 2021, at his apartment at Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. “The Scene was visited by Police detectives, and the corpse was removed to the Federal Medical Centre Mortuary for autopsy. “The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for proper investigations.”

Two officers’ killed as gunmen attack police station in Enugu

Gunmen have attacked Adani divisional police station in Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu state. The gunmen reportedly attacked division at about 2:30 am on Wednesday, killing some police officers and burning the station. Hassan Yahaya, the Nsukka police commander, confirmed the incident to NAN. “Yes, there was an attack on Adani police division on early Wednesday morning,” he said. “I am there now to see things for myself, access level of destruction and know casualties.” A source from the area said two police officers were killed in the attack while others were injured. The source also added that the police division was razed. “We started hearing sporadic gunshots around 2.am on Wednesday morning which created fear and panic in the area,” the source said. “We don’t know who the gunmen were because the incident happened in the night. “It is day break that we discovered that the attack is on Adani police division, two policemen were killed and some others injured as well as the station burnt.” When contacted, Daniel Ndukwe, the state police spokesman, asked to be given some time to get details of the incident. The attack comes two days after gunmen razed the zone 13 police headquarters in Ukpo, Anambra state, during a violent attack. Two weeks before that, the headquarters of the Imo police command was also attacked and razed by gunmen. Apart from these states, other states in the south-east have been witnessing a spike in criminal attacks and targeted assault against security agencies. TheCable had reported how killings in the region tripled since the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) formed its security arm. The south-east governors had launched a joint security outfit to curb the attacks, but not much has changed since they took the action.

Elumelu demands Pantami’s resignation, Gbajabiamila blocks motion

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, on Wednesday, urged the House to demand resignation or sack of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, for once backing activities of Jihadist leaders and deadly Islamic sects. Pantami has been under fire for once preaching the violent cause of extremist Islamist sects and Jihadist narratives of al-Qaeda and the Taliban before he became a minister in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari At the plenary on Wednesday, Elumelu raised a point of order to demand that the House acts on the issue. He particularly demanded the minister’s resignation or sack. The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, however, overruled the Minority Leader, noting that Elumelu came under the matter and the matter being raised had nothing to do with his privilege as a lawmaker. “Your point of order is noted,” Gbajabiamila said and hit the gavel. The plenary has since moved to other items on the House’ agenda.

Ada Jesus dies two days after celebrating birthday

Popular Nigerian Comedienne Ada Jesus has died of kidney failure after two days of marking her birthday. Confirming the news on Wednesday, Harrison Gwamnishu who led group of Nigerians that took Ada Jesus to hospital told BBC news this afternoon. His words; “She is gone.” Recall the popular Comedienne Ada Jesus has been battling kidney problem for some months. Details later

Those calling for secession are Nigeria’s greatest problem – Presidency

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media, says those calling for secession from the country are its problem. He said this on Tuesday in Abuja at an event organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Professional Forum to showcase the achievements of the President Buhari-led administration. Shehu added that Buhari would, however, not be intimidated by the calls for secession by some persons, pointing out that the country will remain united no matter what. “For those saying that the presidency has not been talking, our position is clearly that this country is one and will remain united by the grace of God. “You can’t intimidate Buhari, you can’t bully him, a lot of these people who are calling for secession are the problem of this country, I am happy that reasonable voices are now rising,” he said. Shehu expressed delight that Afenifere, Ohanaze Ndigbo and other socio-cultural regional groups are beginning to speak against secession. “We have heard the governors in the South-West, they have denounced all of these things, so it’s a sham, Nigerians want to be one and united,” he said. He expressed optimism that whatever challenges the country might be having, with unity and love, such challenges would be addressed. On agitation for a national conference to address the country’s challenges, Shehu said there was no need for that as it would not do more than a parliament which was mandated to ensure the sovereignty of Nigerians. He added that any democrat in heart and practice should believe in the tripartite structure of government, noting that a lot of those calling for secession are unelectable, adding that they should contest election if they felt otherwise. On the spate of kidnappings and banditry in the country, Shehu said though it was not a commendable development, the act had been on for long, even before the country gained independence. He blamed the development on bad eggs in our communities who revealed military secrets to bandits. He recalled how a tea seller in a particular state near the airport always revealed the movement of military personnel to bandits whenever they moved their aircraft to attack. “The sponsors of bandits hired him, built a house for him, bought him a Golf car and gave him money to do bigger tea business. “Each time an aircraft took off from Katsina Airport to go and operate in Zamfara, he will call them on phone and say they are coming, by the time they get there, the target have disappeared,” he said. Shehu said there was need for all hands to be on deck to rid out communities of such informants because the military were as human as we are with blood running in their veins. “We are all in this together and we just have to work together to rid this country of these elements,” he said. Speaking on the current unrest in the South-East, Shehu said though criminals were fighting to gain upper hand, no criminal or terrorist was bigger than the country. “None of them is mightier than our armed forces, this structure has been there, they were certificated and praised, they stabilised the entire West Africa region,” he said. He noted the role the Nigeria military played in ensuring peace and stability in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia, saying they stood out. He added that all the military needed to combat terrorism and acts of banditry in the country was time, support and prayers from Nigerians. He further noted that as at today, Boko Haram was no longer fighting for Islamic Caliphate, but for food and weapons which they want to replenish and money, adding that they had turned to armed robbers, attacking soft spots. Shehu said the military was getting ready not only to stop Boko Haram from coming to the towns, but to stop them on their tracks in the forest. He, however, appealed to the media to have a rethink on how they reported acts of terrorism in the country in the name of balancing stories. He stressed that a terrorist and a bandit could not be equated with a legitimate government, adding that publicity is oxygen to terrorism and banditry. Shehu, therefore, charged Nigerians to begin to see the country as half full instead of half empty.

Man dies chasing truck during revenue drive in Umuahia

A 42-year-old man, identified as Ikechukwu Ochi, died Tuesday afternoon in Umuahia, the Abia capital while attempting to forcefully stop a moving truck for toll payment. An eyewitness, Martins Igwe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident happened around 1pm at the city centre, known as Cooperative. NAN reports that revenue agents, allegedly hired by state government contractors, usually chase haulage vehicles at both entry and exit points of Umuahia and Aba for tolls, ranging from N5,000 to N15,000. Igwe said the incident happened when the deceased allegedly accosted the moving truck, along with four others, but the driver refused to stop. “In a desperate bid to stop the driver, the man climbed on the vehicle, perhaps to get hold of the steering and force the driver to pull up. “Suddenly, the man fell off from the vehicle with a heavy bang on the tar. It was not clear what made him fall,” he said. It was learnt that his colleagues immediately rushed and picked him into a mini-bus and took him to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia. He was said to have been “confirmed dead on arrival by a medical doctor on duty at the Accident and Emergency Unit. When NAN got to the unit, the deceased’s relations were seen weeping, while his remains were being prepared to be moved to the hospital’s morgue. A lady, who identified herself as his elder sister, said they hail from Otamkpa in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of the state. It was learnt that the hospital security alerted the Umuahia Central Police Station to arrest the four men that brought the deceased to the facility. A senior police officer confirmed the arrest to NAN on the condition of anonymity, saying that they were kept in police custody for investigation.

Court hasn’t ordered EFCC to recover money from Okorocha – Aide

An aide to a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, on Tuesday said no court in Nigeria had ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to recover “even a pin” from him. The aide, Sam Onwuemeod in a statement in Owerri, was reacting to a document making the rounds that an unnamed court had ordered the EFCC to withdraw 33 “stolen” properties and funds belonging to the state government from him. The statement reads partly, “No court in the land, both within and outside, whether magistrate court, or customary court , or state high court, or federal high court, or appeal court or Supreme Court, had ordered EFCC to recover even a pin from Okorocha. “The same EFCC they had talked about was the same commission that invited Okorocha on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, and allowed him to go on Thursday, April 15, 2021. “Those behind the gimmicks could not reason to the extent of knowing that if the court at any level ordered EFCC to recover all that they had listed from Okorocha, the commission would not have invited him for questioning. “And now that we have expressly denied or stated that, no court in the land, at any level, had ordered or asked the EFCC to recover the items from Okorocha, the burden or onus has now fallen on them, to show evidence or proof of their claims.”

BREAKING: Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Convicted Of All Charges In George Floyd’s Death

Sacked police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter Tuesday in the death of African-American George Floyd in a case that roiled the United States for almost a year, laying bare deep racial divisions. A racially-diverse jury of seven women and five men in the Midwestern city of Minneapolis took less than two days at the end of a three-week trial to find the white officer guilty in unanimous decisions on all three charges he faced. Chauvin, 45, could be handed decades behind bars for Floyd’s May 25, 2020 killing, which sparked protests against racial injustice around the world and is being seen as a landmark test of police accountability. More details to follow . .

Stay away until Ebonyi is safe, Umahi warns herders

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, has asked herders to stay away from the state until “tension abates”. There have been attacks by gunmen on Ebonyi communities in the past few weeks, heightening tension between herders and their host communities. Speaking on Tuesday in Abakaliki, the state capital, the governor said his administration did not ask herders to leave the state — but they did so on their own accord. Umahi, however, said the herders should not yet return to the state. He said: “We are killing policemen, we are burning police station which means that south-east leaders should know that our problem is not just herdsmen. We want to put it on record that no herdsman is in Ebonyi state now. “We didn’t ask them to leave. They left on their own, which means they were privy to the attacks on Ebonyi state. “I have been begging the national leadership that with what is going on, no state governor is in control of bandits and because of the killings of the defenceless Ebonyi people, for the safety of them, they should not return now. “There is high tension. We have sent text messages to Myetti Allah that Ebonyi state is under tension and we would not want them to still stay until such a time that the state is safe.” The governor also said he has ordered vigilantes and the leadership of the LGAs to enforce the ban on open grazing in the state. He said although there is no herder presently in the state, the ban should be seriously enforced. “The natives should not blame security agencies who cannot be everywhere as we will fully fund vigilante operations in the state,” Umahi said. “Individuals who make inciting statements on the social media should desist because such increases tension in the land.” He urged residents of the south-east to condemn the incessant attacks on police facilities and other security threats. “The attacks are not perpetrated by herders but by criminals and bandits in the zone,” he said. “How would we feel if the federal government withdraws policemen from the zone as a result of this development? “The people claiming to protect us are not doing so and we should avoid creating another monster in the zone.” The governor also ordered the arrest of people whose “inciting utterances escalated the conflict and killings” in Effium and Mgbo communities of the state.

Two Killed In Cult Clash In Edo

Two persons were reportedly killed in a renewed clash between two cult group in Benin City, Edo State capital. It was gathered that the rivalry between the cult groups began on Saturday following the killing of one Ogbomo, allegedly by a rival group. Ogbomo was said to have been killed by a four-man gang at about 4:pm along Esigie street, 3rd Circular Road, Benin on Saturday. It was learnt that the rival group on Monday afternoon retaliated with another killing. On the Monday killing, it was gathered that the gang allegedly waylaid a commercial bus driver along 3rd Circular road by Esigie junction and shot him dead. An eyewitness who only identified himself as Okharedia said: “I and other passengers boarded a commercial bus from Ekiosa market to New Benin by Upper mission junction. Halfway into the journey, an Audi car overtook us and forced the driver to stop. “The next thing the gunmen came out of the Audi car and dragged the bus driver out of the steering and fired him at closed range When contacted, the Edo state public relations officer, Kotongs Bello, said he is not aware of the development. He said, the divisional police officers of various police station usually briefed the command of any development but “I am not aware of this one”