The Managing Director, Fouani Company, a prominent representative of LG and Hisense, Mohamed Fouani who was kidnapped alongside two Lebanese, the boat captain and his assistant have been rescued. The five of them were rescued late on monday night in Orugbo Iddo area of Lagos by the Lagos state Marine Police with the support of Nigerian Navy.   Police Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin of the Lagos State Police confirmed the victims’ rescue, saying: “Last night in Orugbo Iddo, five of them, three Lebanese, the boat captain, and his assistant were rescued.” “Our Marine Police with the support of Nigerian Navy brought them to shore. Thereafter, our tactical team in the area took them home on Banana Island in the early hours of today.” Recall that on Friday, while sailing from Apapa to Victoria Island, the boat captain and his assistant, two other Lebanese nationals, and the Managing Director of the Fouani company (LG and Hisense) were abducted close to Falomo Bridge. There was no information available at the time this report was filed regarding whether the kidnappers who demanded $1.5 million had received any ransom before the hostages were freed.

  There were sporadic gunshots at the Secretariat of Port Harcourt City Council, on Tuesday, as the police scared away scores of youths who stormed the secretariat to protest. The youths said they were at the secretariat to carry out a peaceful demonstration against the immediate past local government council chairmen whom they claimed have refused to vacate office after expiration of their tenure.   A spokesperson of the group said immediately the police sighted them, they started shooting at them. “We are Ijaw youths; we are here on a peaceful demonstration against those whose tenure have expired but said they will not vacate their office. We are not here to make trouble but we were on a peaceful demonstration but the police started shooting at us,” he said. Also speaking, leader of Port Harcourt City youths, who also came to demonstrate at the Secretariat , Allwell Ichemanti, said one of the youths was shot by the police. He accused the immediate past Chairman of the Council of inviting the police to attack them. The deafening gunshots caused pandemonium along the stretch of the council Secretariat adjacent to both the state police command headquarters and Rivers State House of Assembly as residents and passersby scampered for safety. Efforts made to speak with State Police Command Public Relation Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko, proved abortive as her phone was switched off but the Commissioner of Police , Olatunji Disu, had earlier said men of the command had been deployed in various councils to maintain peace.

  Some gunmen, who were enforcing sit-at-home, have reportedly killed many people and injured others in two Anambra communities. The gunmen invaded Nnewichi community in Nnewi north LGA and Nnobi community in Idemili south LGA, on Monday morning. At Nnewichi community, the gunmen were said to have invaded a hotel after discovering that some persons were having a meeting there. The gunmen started shooting sporadically at the hotel premises, while destroying properties. The assailants were said to have killed Oseloka Ubajiekwe, head of the vigilante group and chief security officer of the community, while he was attempting to wade off the attackers. Those who sustained injuries have been taken to various hospitals in the state. At Nnobi community, the gunmen shot sporadically to scare away residents and engaged in gun duels with security operatives. Confirming the attacks in a statement, Tochukwu Ikenga, Anambra police spokesperson, said only three persons, including a 22-year-old lady, have been confirmed dead. “The commissioner of police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, has ordered an immediate manhunt operation on the armed men operating in a red Highlander jeep, who abducted a citizen in Nnewi by 1:30 pm yesterday 17/6/2024 and were trailed to Nnobi, where they engaged security operatives in a gun battle,” Ikenga said. “During the gun duel, one of the security operatives was fatally hit by the bullet and due to the indiscriminate shootings by the hoodlums in an attempt to escape the scene, the bullet also fatally struck two innocent passersby in the area. “The police responding team at the scene recovered the bodies of the victims and took them to the hospital but regrettably, three of the victims including a 22-year-old lady were confirmed dead by the doctors on duty while two others are currently receiving treatment.”

  Residents of Idekan Farm Settlement in the Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State were left shocked when a man named Matthew James killed his 55-year-old wife, Etim Mary, due to suspicions of her having an extramarital affair. PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident took place around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. Our correspondent learnt from several community and police sources that the suspect, now in police custody, committed the crime after suspecting that his late wife was having an extramarital affair with another man in the community. An eyewitness, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the police operatives from the Ijebu-Igbo Division had taken the suspect into custody. The eyewitness further told our correspondent that the suspect claimed he and the deceased woman had a “blood covenant” not to betray each other. The source said, “They had a blood covenant that they would not leave each other. He suspected the wife was having an extramarital affair. The woman had been married before she met James. He married her when the woman was already ageing. She had grown up with children before James married her. “James is claiming they both had a blood covenant not to leave each other for any reason. He just returned one morning with a machete and hacked the woman to death. He didn’t run away after committing the crime. He just stood beside her after.” The spokesperson for the state police command, Omolola Odutola, commenting on Monday’s shocking incident, stated that the wife was pronounced dead by the attending doctor after being rushed to the hospital by other residents. She said, “She was found lying in the pool of her blood just in front of the house about 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. She had deep cuts on her forehead, shoulders, and other parts of her body. The husband was found with the blood-soaked machete he was believed to have used to commit the crime. “The body was taken to a general hospital in Ijebu-Igbo, where she was certified dead by a doctor on duty. Her corpse has been deposited at the Alayangbe Private Mortuary in Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo, for the autopsy. “We will move the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Abeokuta as soon as the preliminary investigation is concluded.” PUNCH Metro reported a similar incident in April in Ekiti, where a suspect named Dare Onipede allegedly killed his wife, Arinola, during a dispute over accusations of her having an extramarital affair. The suspect allegedly stabbed his wife, the mother of three, to death during the incident

  Tuesday 18 June 2024 FG Summons Private Jets Owners Over Improper Importation, Others One Killed, Bank, Vehicles Razed In Fresh Plateau Attack Obasanjo Visits Remi Tinubu In Lagos LG Crisis: Police Warn Troublemakers In Rivers FG’s Plans To Buy Jets Shows Disconnect With People’s Plight — Obi France Cutting Troops In West, Central Africa To 600 Youths Storm LGA Secretariats In Rivers, Ask Chairmen To Vacate Office Military To Establish Three Operating Bases In Southern Kaduna, Others– Gov Sani Police Arrest Suspected Notorious Terrorist Gang Leader In Yobe ‘Nigeria Is Safe,’ NCAA Dispels Concerns Over Air Safety Time To Stop Blame Game, Focus On Charting Roadmap For Development – Obaseki Presidency, Obi clash over new presidential jet UAE will soon lift visa ban on Nigerians, says FG Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…