Crime Facts

Chelsea, Man City to pull out of Super League -Reports

Chelsea and Manchester City are set to withdraw from proposals for a European Super League on Tuesday after a furious backlash against the controversial plan. Chelsea and City were two of 12 leading European clubs to sign up to the breakaway league on Sunday. But reaction to the incendiary scheme has been scathing, with politicians and football authorities threatening to take legal action against the so-called “dirty dozen” and potentially ban them from domestic leagues. Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were the other 10 sides to agree to the plan. However, reports have emerged that Atletico and Barcelona are both also considering withdrawing. Chelsea and City’s decision to backtrack could spark the collapse of a project that has sparked outrage across the continent. The Athletic and the BBC reported that Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has resigned. Earlier on Tuesday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told the clubs it was not too late to admit they had made a mistake. “Gentlemen, you made a huge mistake,” said Ceferin. “Some will say it is greed, some complete ignorance of England’s football culture. There’s still time to change your mind. Everyone makes mistakes.” Over 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium to protest against the plan ahead of Tuesday’s Premier League match against Brighton. Less than two hours after the protesters made their feelings known, it was first reported that Chelsea are preparing documentation to become the first club to withdraw from the competition. The BBC reported that Blues owner Roman Abramovich is understood to have driven the decision. Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, now the club’s technical advisor, had come out of the stadium in a bid to persuade fans to clear the roads as the home side’s team bus was held up by the protest, causing kick-off to be delayed by 15 minutes. Cech was heard shouting “give us time” before being drowned out by angry protesters. The 20-team competition was designed by the European giants to guarantee revenue from regular matches against one another without the risk of failing to qualify for 15 founder members. The 12 teams had signed up to share an initial pot of over 3.5 billion euros. However, the plan was fiercely criticised by even their own players and managers for acting as a closed shop. “It’s not a sport when the relation between effort and reward doesn’t exist,” said Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. “It’s not a sport when success is already guaranteed, it’s not a sport if it doesn’t matter if you lose.” Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford shared an image on Twitter of one of the banners which covers the stands at Old Trafford. The banner carries a quote from the club’s legendary former manager Sir Matt Busby, which reads: “Football is nothing without fans”. AFP

Tension as Security operatives arrest people in Imo community at midnight

Fear is palpable in some communities in Imo state, over the alleged arrest of persons suspected to be members of Pro -Biafra groups. According to VANGUARD, the arrest is said to be in connection with the various attacks on police stations and Owerri correctional centre in Imo. A source who is a member of a pro-Biafra group disclosed to Vanguard that such arrest also happened in some local government areas in the state, places as Ohaji/Egbema and Orsu local government areas. Also in Izombe and Agwa both in the Oguta local government area of the state. A source who spoke to Vanguard from Ugbele in Izombe, Oguta local government area of Imo state, that one Charles Nwuzi and wife was taken away by security operatives. He said: “Since last week, this thing started, as I am talking to you, Mr Charles Nwuzi and his wife was taken away by some people with a gun. I don’t know if they are police or Army Officers. They were taken away around 3 o’clock in the night five days ago. “I suspect it is because of these attacks happening in Imo, the attack on the police stations and the prison. I know Nwuzi is a member of one of the Biafra groups. As I am talking to you everybody is running away because of fear.” Vanguard also spoke with the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Uche Madu, who confirmed the arrest but said that those arrested were not members of MASSOB. He said: “I have called my people they are not members of MASSOB, they may be members of other Pro-Biafra groups. However, we condemn it. It is illegal to arrest somebody by that time of the night. It is an act of terrorism and unconstitutional. We hereby call for their immediate release.” When Vanguard called the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Orland Ikeokwo, he did not take his calls neither did he respond to the text messages sent to his cell phone.

Again, EFCC grills Yari, ex-Zamfara gov, for hours

There were reports on Tuesday that the operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) interrogated immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulazeez Yari, for several hours. According to the report, Yari was being interrogated at the Sokoto State office of the anti-graft agency over allegations of corruption. Although Yari was expected to report at the EFFC office since April 8, he only honoured the invitation on Tuesday. According to sources, the former governor reported at the EFCC office shortly before noon and was still being interrogated by dusk. “He has been offered bail, but he has not been able to meet the bail conditions,” the source added. It is the second time that Yari was being interrogated by the agency this year, having appeared at the Lagos office in February.

EXTRA: Senate considers creation of database for cows, goats

The senate is considering a bill seeking to create a database for cows in the country. The bill for an act to provide for National Livestock Bureau scaled second reading at Tuesday’s plenary session. According to the proposed law sponsored by Muhammad Enagi from Niger south, the agency will be in charge of identification, traceability and registration of livestock such as cows and goats to among other things curb cattle rustling. It will also ensure the protection, control and management of all livestock in Nigeria. A similar bill was considered by the previous senate but it was not passed. Some of the duties of the bureau being created include to: create a national livestock identification database; control movement of livestock and ensure their management to prevent disease outbreaks. It is also charged with ensuring food safety, transparency and information in the food chain, as well as the prevention of cattle rustling to end the prolonged farmer/herder conflict in Nigeria. Enagi said that in addition to checking cattle rustling, the bill will help address the diseases and other threats to human lives caused by the movement of livestock. He said the agency in charge will also ensure that animal products being imported into, or sold in, Nigeria are easily traced to ensure human safety. The senator said livestock identification by the agency will include ownership and other details including their origin, birthplace, sex and breed. After deliberating on the bill, the red chamber referred it to its committee on agriculture and rural development for further action.

200-level OAU student commits suicide

A part two student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, in the department of Management and Accounting, Emmanuel Adedeji, had reportedly committed suicide. Emmanuel, it was said, left a suicide note after he took a poisonous substance which led to his death. It was not immediately clear why Emmanuel took the decision, as some sources close to him gave different reasons. A classmate of the deceased, who preferred anonymity, said Emmanuel suffered depression after a failed business deal. But another source that commented on the matter said the deceased did not look like he was depressed when he was seen near the Conference Centre of the university on Monday. When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olanrewaju, confirmed the death of the student. Olanrewaju said, “The name of the student is Adedeji Emmanuel, a part two student of the Department of Management and Accounting. “We appeal to parent and guidance to please let our children know that failure or depression occasioned by whatever, suicide should not be an option. “We sympathise with the parent and friends of the deceased. He was at his formative stage. “We heard that he left a suicide note. It pains us that the boy is no more. His action was because of one challenge or the other.”

Nobody can intimidate, bully Buhari to break Nigeria -Presidency

The Presidency has declared that nobody or a group in Nigeria can intimidate or bully the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to accept the demands by secessionists. It also stated that the President will not pay those demanding dissolution of the country to end their agitations. According to the Presidency, calls for secession have always been used to force the previous governments into paying agitators to cease fire. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress after attending an event organised by the APC Professional Forum. Shehu said, “The first one is about the unity of this country and the calls for secession, and they said the presidency is not talking; the presidency has been talking and our position is clearly that this country is one and is united, and by the grace of God will continue to be united. “One thing with this President – and the National Secretary (of the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC) has said a bit of that; you can’t intimidate Buhari. You can’t bully him. “A lot of these people who are calling for secessions; they are the problem of this country. And I am happy that reasonable opinions, reasonable voices are now rising. Is it not only yesterday that we are reading Afenifere – the most credible faction of Afenifere – saying ‘we’re not for secession’? The Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo have said this over and over again. “So, this thing about secession; they had used it in the past. You create secession and break up Nigeria and then, you intimidate the sitting leader and then he opens the booth and he brings money to settle people. President Buhari will pay no one. He is not going to pay. And now, it is clear that having ignored all of that, reasonable opinions are coming from those states and from those regions.

SHOCKING: Groom to be allegedly murdered by next-door neighbour in Kwara for ritual purposes

Exactly six days to his wedding, Mr Olokose Oluwasola Ojo in his early 30s, staff at the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS )unit of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin was allegedly murdered in cold blood by his next-door neighbour, identified as Kazeem Mohammed, and his gang for ritual purposes. Vanguard reliably gathered that unknown to the groom to be who was said to be a devoted Christian, his next-door neighbour with whom he used to eat together, was a serial killer and ritualist who had twice served jail terms. The remains of the victim which had been cut into pieces by the suspected ritualists were recovered by the police, packed into a sack and deposited at the mortuary of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital last weekend. Vanguard reliably gathered that after the victim had been killed and sensitive parts of his body removed, the ritualists reportedly poured acid on his remains for speedy decay and to prevent it from fouling the area. The family and relations of the victim came to the teaching hospital, Ilorin on Tuesday to collect his remains and took it to Akure, in Ondo state from where he hails for burial. The angry residents of Patigi were said to have attempted to attack him when police brought him to the area for investigation because he was earlier wanted by his people having successfully robbed them at gunpoint serially, collected a lump sum of money from them and fled. Vanguard reliably gathered that on Monday 8, March 2021, the victim Mr Olokose Oluwasola Ojo who was at the peak of preparations for his wedding that was to take place in Akure, Ondo state the following weekend March 13, 2021, reportedly gave N350,000.00 to Kazeem to buy three cows for him as discussed. Kazeem who hails from Patigi in Kwara North had previously convinced and tricked the victim, his next-door neighbour that cows are very cheap in his area, to which he agreed. The duo had in the wee hours of that faithful day travelled to Patigi, with the intention of buying the three cows, while the bride to be, planned to return to Ilorin same day and then take the cows to Akure the next day for the wedding. Vanguard further gathered that the plan did not come to pass as the bride to be was attacked in the bush in Patigi by other members of the gang who were already laying ambush. The gang were said to have dispossessed the bride to be of other valuables including the N350,000.00, and his phone through which they called his relations that he had been kidnapped and demanded N12M ransom. After much pleadings by the relations, the suspected ritualists agreed to N3M to be paid before he could be released for his wedding. The suspected ritualists having collected the victim’s phone and his ATM cards which were with him reportedly collected about N1.2M including the victim’s March 2021 salary that was paid into his account before he was murdered in cold blood. Further findings by Vanguard revealed that the suspected ritualists reportedly killed the victim shortly after the relations paid part of the ransom demanded. Vanguard further gathered that Oluwasola, a brilliant University graduate who was employed by UITH two years ago, was said to have been helped by a good samaritan who spotted him while he was working as a cleaner in a restaurant in Abuja. He had much earlier left Akure with lone clothing for Abuja in search of employment after all efforts failed before he got a job to be washing plates in a restaurant in the federal capital. Contacted, the State’s Public Relations Officer of Kwara state police command, Kayode Okasanmi, confirmed the incident. “The incident is true. We have commenced investigation and started making some arrests, that’s much I can say for now. The investigation is still ongoing. “He said.

Heavy shootings on Enugu-Abakaliki highway

The movement of vehicles and passengers along the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway has been halted following heavy shootings at the Ezilo axis of the highway by suspected gunmen. As of the time of filing this report, it was not immediately clear those responsible for the shootings. The PUNCH reports that two persons were killed in a renewed boundary dispute between Eziulo community and its neighboring Iyionu community, in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Equally, it could not be immediately established if the shooting is connected with the dispute. A passenger from Enugu, who was billed for Abakaliki, Afam Cyprian, said travellers have been stranded at Okpoto for about one hour. He said military patrol vans were patrolling the highway but have told them not to advance. “Many people are looking for another route to take. Some have gone back to take Afikpo road. I am looking for a way to go back to Abakaliki,” he said. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs Loveth Odah, confirmed the shootings. Odah said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Aliyu Garba, had dispatched police patrol teams to restore peace and open up the road for users. She, however, said the shooting cannot be related to the boundary dispute as the disputed area is not close to the highway Governor David Umahi had on Tuesday, confirmed the killing of two persons in the dispute after a Security Council meeting at the old Government House in Abakaliki.

Ebube Agu not alternative to police, army, says Uzodinma

The governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, has disclosed that the newly formed Ebube Agu security outfit for the South-East region is not an alternative to the police, army and other federal government established security outfits. The governor in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku, said that Ebube Agu is but “a local outfit meant to gather information on criminal activities and give to the security operatives for proper processing and action.” He identified youth unemployment and ethnic mistrust as the main root of criminality in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. The statement identified idleness as the reason fueling criminality and insecurity in Nigeria. The statement identified the governor as saying “his Government is working assiduously to resuscitate the state moribund industries in Imo by entering into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a seasoned private consulting firm, for the purpose of providing jobs for the Imo teeming youths to keep them away from crime. “On the birth of security outfit for the South-East Geo-political zone codenamed EBUBEAGU, the Governor informed that it is not an alternative to the established security agencies such as Police, Army, Air Force, Navy, NSCDC, etc, but a local outfit meant to gather information on criminal activities and give to the security operatives for proper processing and action. “They are to play complimentary roles on the efforts of the Federal Government and Security Agencies, knowing full well that a threat to security anywhere in the country is a threat to security everywhere in the country. “Governor Uzodimma used the occasion to reiterate his stand that the security breaches in the South-East recently do not in anyway suggest that Ndigbo are tired of been in Nigeria. Rather, all we want is justice, equity and fairness in a big Nigeria family.”

NDLEA Nabs Two Suspects For Selling Cannabis Cookies To School Children

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two suspects who specialise in producing and selling drug cookies to school children and other unsuspecting members of the public in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The suspects, a 300-level university student, Rhoda Agboje, and her boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo were arrested for producing the cookies with Arizona, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis; alcohol, and Rohypnol among other ingredients. Their lid was blown open following the arrest of Rhoda Agboje with four pieces of the drug cookies on Sunday, 18th April 2021. producing and selling drug cookies to school children and other unsuspecting members of the public in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The suspects, a 300-level university student, Rhoda Agboje, and her boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo were arrested for producing the cookies with Arizona, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis; alcohol, and Rohypnol among other ingredients. Their lid was blown open following the arrest of Rhoda Agboje with four pieces of the drug cookies on Sunday, 18th April 2021. READ ALSO: Police Rescue 19 Children, Seven Others In Edo She was arrested at the NNPC Cooperative Estate, opposite Gaduwa Estate in Abuja based on a complaint that she gave an unsuspecting young girl the cookies to eat. After eating the drug cookies, the girl lost her mind and could not sleep, making incoherent utterances due to the effects of the cookies. Under interrogation, the prime suspect, Rhoda confessed that she prepares the cookies with a friend and sells each pack of three pieces at N1, 500. A follow-up operation in her boyfriend’s house led to the recovery of over 200 pieces of the drug cookies. The Commander, FCT Command of the NDLEA, Mohammed Malami Sokoto told journalists that “The boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo, and all the equipment used for the production of the cookies were brought to the office for further investigation. “The suspect confirmed that she sells at parties and to unsuspecting members of the public, including school children that are the most vulnerable. The suspect also supplies some supermarkets and clubs in the FCT.” Narcotics agents with the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Command of the NDLEA have also launched a manhunt for another member of the syndicate involved in Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa in reaction commended officers and men of the FCT Command for unraveling the syndicate. He said what the syndicate was doing is not only criminal but equally unconscionable by deliberately luring schoolchildren into drug under the cover of selling to them biscuits or cookies. “I wish to draw the attention of parents to this new devious strategy to get children addicted to drug cookies and to urge them to remain vigilant while monitoring what their wards bring home from school or consume as snack”, Marwa stated on Tuesday.