Soldiers Shoot 15-year-old Boy, Keke Operator Dead In Lagos

 The family of a 15-year-old boy, Pelumi Sulaimon, has been thrown into mourning after soldiers attached to Operation MESA allegedly shot him dead around Makoko, in the Yaba area of Lagos State.

According to residents in the area, the soldiers were hired by political thugs to carry out a reprisal on their opponents in the community on Sunday, February 26.

PUNCH Metro gathered that when the soldiers got to the community, they started shooting indiscriminately. In the process, a stray bullet hit Pelumi who was on his way to buy drinks for his friends to celebrate his birthday.

The soldiers, led by a political thug identified simply as Nuru, were also said to have gunned down a tricycle operator, identified simply as Aloma, whom they mistook for one of their targets.

According to Pelumi’s relative, Musbau Ayinde, the events that led to the death of the Junior Secondary School Three pupil were a result of a clash caused by political rivalry in the community.

He said, “There was a clash between members of two political parties at a base close to Makoko roundabout on Thursday night. The fight was later settled after the intervention of some residents in the area.

“After that, there was another confrontation between them during the election held on Saturday but that did not lead to a fight and we all thought it had ended there not until Sunday when a thug belonging to one of the political parties brought soldiers and stormed the base where the clash occurred the last time.

“When they got there, they did not meet their targets, so the soldiers who were attached to the OP MESA started to shoot indiscriminately and that was how one of the bullets hit Pelumi in his ribs. A tricycle rider known as Aloma was also shot dead.

“He was about to get passengers at the park when he heard the gunshots and fled. But they thought he was one of their targets and that was how they aimed at him and shot him. Even after he fell down, they came down from their van, moved close to him, and shot him again in the head.”

Pelumi’s elder brother, Afeez, said he was with his friends when a resident told him that the soldiers had shot his brother.

He said, “I was with my friends when the soldiers arrived in the area in a van which had the inscription of OP MESA on it with a covered number plate. That was around 3pm. They came in through the Sabo area with four soldiers hanging at the back of the van.

“Shortly after, someone came to tell me that our last born had been shot. I rushed down to the place and saw my immediate younger sister at the spot trying to lift him (Pelumi) up from the ground. That was when some residents joined to carry him to a hospital at Oko Agbon.

“When we got there, they referred us to another hospital on Harvey Road. That was where he passed away. The hospital asked us to get a police report before releasing the corpse. So, it was policemen from Adekunle that took the corpse from the hospital and deposited it in the mortuary.”

Afeez said Pelumi just turned 15 years old on the day he was shot, adding that he stepped out to buy drinks to celebrate with his friends when the incident happened.

The people we met at the spot where he was shot said a political thug known as Nuru was sighted in the van of the military officers. And they left the community through Iwaya Road after carrying out the operation,” he added.

Our correspondent gathered that Pelumi and Aloma were buried on Wednesday.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.

“The case is at the State Criminal Investigation Department. No suspect has been arrested yet and the investigation is still ongoing,” he said.

The Deputy Director, of Public Relations, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Olabisi Ayeni, could not be reached for comment.

He had yet to reply to a text message sent to his mobile number as of the time this report was filed.

Model Jailed For Murder Of Sugar Daddy After He Stopped Paying Rent

 Model Jailed For Murder Of Sugar Daddy After He Stopped Paying Rent

A former model, Kelsey Turner, 29, has been jailed for her role in the murder of a Californian psychiatrist, Dr. Thomas Burchard, 71, and stuffing his body in the trunk of a car after he stopped paying her rent.

Turner, who has posed for both Playboy and Maxim has been sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison, reports Daily Mail, UK.

According to reports, Turner had two months ago confessed to the murder of Burchard. Turner and then-boyfriend Jon Kennison arrested in 2019 for the crime were said to have bludgeoned Burchard to death with a bat on a deserted road in Nevada.

Investigators said that Turner and Burchard at some point before his death, Turner and Burchard began dating and entered an arrangement where the psychiatrist was paying her rent for at least a year.

When the payments suddenly stopped in November 2019, Burchard traveled from California to Vegas to tell Turner he could no longer foot the bill, which led to a physical altercation on a deserted road in rural Nevada.

Two Cousins Arrested For Robbery And Murder In Ogun state

 Ogun state Police Command, on February 9th, arrested two cousins, Damilola Famoriyo, 34, and Akinbayo Emmanuel Abiodun, 31, for allegedly robbing one Amos Oyemechi Chuckwuka of his tricycle, killing him and dumping his corpse at a riverbank in Ijebu-ode.

A statement released by the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspects were arrested following information received by policemen attached to Obalende divisional headquarters, Ijebu Ode, on the 13th of December 2022, that a dead body which was later identified as that of a tricycle rider was found on the riverbank at Agoro area of Ijebu Ode.

Oyeyemi said upon the information, the DPO Obalende division, SP Murphy Salami led his detectives to the scene, where it was discovered that the deceased was macheted to death after which his tricycle was taken away. He said the DPO, there and then detailed his Crack team to embark on technical and Forensic Investigation of the incident to unravel those behind the devilish act.

Oyeyemi stated that the efforts of the police yielded positive results on the 9th of February 2023, when one of the suspects, Damilola Famoriyo, who resides at the New site, Awosan Fakale Ikorodu Lagos was arrested with the deceased's phone. His arrest led to the apprehension of his accomplice, who is also his cousin, Akinbayo Emmanuel Abiodun of Road 1, Block A, Maya Ikorodu Lagos State.

On interrogation, the two suspects confessed to the commission of the crime. In their statements, they admitted been a 2-man syndicate who specialized in snatching motorcycles and tricycles. They disclosed further that they always carry out their robbery operation in the Ijebu ode and its environs.

According to them, on the 13th of December 2022, they lured the victim Amos Oyemechi Chuckwuka to carry their farm products from the Agoro area to the town and agreed on a price. But on getting to Agoro/Ikangba road, they stopped him and snatched the tricycle. It was when the deceased tried to struggle with them that they macheted him to death and dragged his corpse to the riverbank where they dumped him.

They informed the police further that they have snatched up to eight tricycles in the Ijebu ode area, and that their standby buyers are residing at Ikorodu in Lagos State, ‘’the police spokesperson said.

Oyeyemi said items recovered from them include two phones of the deceased as well as the cutlass they used to kill him. He added that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Frank Mba, has directed that the suspects be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments for discreet investigation.

Woman Sets Self, Rented Apartment On Fire Over Inability To Repay N70k Lapo’s money

 Tragedy struck in Abeokuta, on Saturday, as a middle-aged woman, known in her neighborhood as Mama Dada, set herself on fire in her rented apartment.

The woman’s remains were burnt beyond recognition and the entire building was razed.

The incident happened at Oke-Keesi, Itoko area of Abeokuta.

According to a witness, Rasheed Aina, who resides around the deceased’s residence, the woman killed herself for being unable to repay a loan she took from a microfinance bank popularly known as ‘LAPO’.

“Her neighbor told me that the loan was to the tune of N70,000,” Mr. Aina said.

LAPO was established as a Nigerian non-governmental organization in 1987 to help local Nigerians escape poverty.

The organization was expanded into a microfinance institute, MFI, in 1990, and was registered as a microfinance bank in 2007.

Lapo in Abeokuta is known for lending money to traders and other small-scale business owners with strict repayment plans.

A former member of the Lapo group, who identified herself simply as Mrs. Adeogun, said an ‘unprecedented embarrassment’ will befall anyone who refuses to pay back the borrowed money at the set date.

“If you refuse to pay them back at the set date, you will be treated like trash, you will be embarrassed in a big way, in a manner that your children will forever be ashamed of. I know what I am saying, I used to be a member.

“ One must be a member and a committed one before you will be given a reasonable amount of money. What they do is that you will join the group and start making thrift with them. It is the evidence of this thrift through your card that will qualify you for a loan that you must either pay back outrightly or in batches. But either in batches or outrightly, there is always a set a date for repayment that you must meet but if you default…! you will live to blame yourself.”

The house was set ablaze over Lapo debt in Ogun.
Secretary of the community development association in the area, Mr. Babawale, said: “She is owing the ‘Gbomu le lantern’ the sum of N70k. Because she was unable to meet up with the payment she then sent her last born to buy fuel and also used style to discharge the small boy she locked herself up inside the room and wet everywhere with petrol including herself and set the whole place on fire.”

The corpse has been deposited at the State General Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta.

Kaduna Man Organizes Kidnap Of His Mother, Gets N1m As Share From N30m Ransom

 The Zamfara State Police Command has arrested members of a notorious six-man kidnap gang including a 30-year-old man, Thomas Yau, who masterminded the abduction of his biological mother.

The spokesperson of the command, SP Mohammed Shehu, who made this known while addressing newsmen at the police headquarters in Gusau, the state capital, said that Yau was given N1m after the payment of N30 million as a ransom for the release of his mother and three other victims.

The PPRO gave names of the suspects as Thomas Yau, 30, of Makarfi LGA in Kaduna State, Abdulsamad Mohd, 45, Bello Abdullahi, 35, Abubakar Namadi,30, Suleiman Gabriel, 20, and Christopher Gabriel, 20, all of the same address.

The statement read;

"On 12th February 2023, Zamfara Police Command through its Community Policing engagement acted on intelligence information that led to the bursting of kidnapping syndicate and the arrest of 6 serial kidnappers who have been terrorizing different villages in Kaduna, Kano, and other neighboring states such as Zamfara, Sokoto and so on

"In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the suspects have carried out a series of kidnappings where unspecified number of people were abducted and millions of Naira collected as ransom.

"Each suspect further narrated the number of kidnappings he participated in as well as the role he played in each kidnapping. Surprisingly, one of the suspects Thomas Ya'u confessed that sometime last year he masterminded the kidnapping of his biological mother and three (3) others. As a result of the kidnapping, they collected the sum of thirty million Naira from the relations as ransom, and in turn, he was given one million as his share. The case is under discreet Investigation and will be charged to court for prosecution.”

Okada Ban: "Police Are Exploiting Us"

 Okada ban: Lagos residents allege ‘organized’ exploitation by policemen

Some Lagos residents have alleged exploitation by some policemen who pretend to be riders of commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada, which has been banned in some parts of the state.

The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday, said that the alleged perpetrators were usually in Okada uniform and deliberately drove their victims to a task force against Okada riding.

According to the residents, the ‘Okada riders carry their passengers to a waiting task force for arrest.

They alleged that after the arrest, the task force, made up of policemen, would allow the ‘Okada riders’ to drive off but threaten the passengers with the prosecution.

They said that the task force would take the passengers to their station and make them pay as much as N50,000 for bail.

The residents listed some of the areas where policemen allegedly perpetrate the act including Oshodi, Iyana-Ipaja, Sango, Ikotun, Ketu, and Mile 12.

A resident, who claimed to have fallen victim, Mr. Akinyemi Oni, alleged that it was a planned exploitation.

He said that both the ‘Okada riders’ and the task force were working together.

Mr. Linus Chukwuka, who also claimed to have fallen victim, said that the alleged perpetrators were taking advantage of the Okada ban in some parts of Lagos to extort the residents.

Chukwuka called on the state government to repair bad roads and speed up ongoing road constructions causing a traffic jams.

“Some of the victims of this exploitation were forced to use bikes to meet up with appointments, as using vehicles will waste their time in traffic,” he said.

NAN reports that Lagos State Government banned commercial motorcycle operations in 10 local government areas and five local council development areas.

The ban took effect on June 1, 2022, as part of measures to secure lives and property.

The affected council areas include Ikeja, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, Surulere, and Apapa.

The others include Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu, Mushin, Ikosi-Isheri, Agboyi-Ketu, Isolo, Bariga, and Odi-Olowo.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had warned that, if arrested, both the Okada riders and their passengers would be liable to three years imprisonment and/or a fine of N50,000 each.

He added that the Okada would be confiscated.

“We will crush that bike and the public will see the crushing process. This is in line with the provisions of Section 46, Sub-Section 1, 2, and 3 of the Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Contacted, the spokesman for the police command in Lagos State, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, described the alleged victims as lawbreakers who should be arrested.

Hundeyin said that the law banning commercial motorcycle operations in the affected areas had not been repealed.

He listed the alleged victims’ offenses as riding on Okada in prohibited areas and offering bribes to public officers.

He also said that bribe collection by a public officer remained an offense.

“The ‘victims’ should report the conduct of the officers, with their names, to their divisional police officers or the police public relations officer,” he added.

Police Rescue 15 NYSC Members Abducted By Unknown Gunmen In Anambra

 The Anambra state police command on Thursday, February 14, rescued fifteen members of the National Youth Service Corps NYSC abducted by unknown gunmen along Isseke, Ihiala road in the state.

A statement released by the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, says the Corps members had just finished their three weeks of orientation programs today and were en route to Lagos when the vehicle they boarded was intercepted at total junction Ihiala, by yet unidentified armed men in unmarked white Toyota Hilux.

"Their vehicle was diverted to Isseke, Ihiala-Orlu expressway where the gunmen kept them hostage. The armed men who noticed they were being followed by Police Operatives, abandoned the Corpers and zoomed off with the Toyota Hiace bus with Reg Nos: EPE 353 YE conveying the Corpers'', Tochukwu said.

He said that the corps members were debriefed by the police and necessary arrangements have been perfected to convey them back to their destinations