BILLION

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have shot and killed a businessman, Chinonso Ugwu, a resident of Balele village in the Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State. A resident of the village, who spoke to journalists, on Thursday, on condition of anonymity said the gunmen stormed the village around 1.30am on Tuesday and started shooting indiscriminately. The source said the gunmen, who he claimed had been terrorising different communities in the area, went to the house of the late 37-year-old businessman and shot him many times in his stomach and head. He added that nobody could come to his rescue for fear of being attacked until the following morning when he was rushed to the hospital in the company of policemen. “He was, however, confirmed dead on arrival by a medical doctor at the Burra General Hospital,” he added. The Deputy Caretaker Chairman of Ningi Local Government Area, Lawan Muhammad, confirmed the incident to journalists.  He said immediately after he got th...

Two men were on Wednesday arraigned before the Chief Magistrates’ Court 4 sitting in the Yaba area of Lagos State for allegedly assaulting and macheting the left hand of a man identified as Ali Yaga at Elepete, the Ibeju Lekki area of the state. The two defendants, Suraju Azeez, 37, and Opeyemi Kabiru, 24, were arraigned by the Lagos State Police Command before Magistrate O.A Salawu. The prosecutor, Godwin Oriabure, told the court that the defendants and others at large carried out the act on June 14, 2023, around 5am in the Elepete, Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos. The two counts charge, Godwin said, contravened Sections 411 and 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015. The charge read in part, “That you, Suraju Azeez, Opeyemi Kabiru and others at large, on June 14, 2023, around 5am at Elepete, Ibeju Lekki Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit, assault, occasioning harm, and thereby committed an off...

A 17-year-old female student of the Osun State University, Ikire campus, Victory Ehiremen, and his boyfriend, Ayobami Ariyo, were on Wednesday paraded before journalists at the state police command headquarters, Osogbo, for allegedly obtaining N1.5m from a complainant they lured from Lagos to Osun State. Presenting the suspects alongside others arrested in various parts of the state for crimes ranging from conspiracy to armed robbery, the state Commissioner of Police, Kehinde Longe, said Ehiremen met the complainant on social media a few days before the incident. Longe said after days of chatting on social media, the complainant was invited to Ikire from Lagos by Ehiremen, who, during the visit, lured him to her boyfriend’s house where he met some people that attacked him and transferred N1.5m from his bank account. “Immediately the case was reported, police detectives swung into action and arrested one Ariyo Ayobami from his hideout. “Preliminary investigation led to the a...

A businessman, Amarah Kennedy, who was accused of circulating nude photos of his former lovers was on Wednesday arraigned at a Chief Magistrates’ Court, in Ogba, Lagos. Kennedy was arraigned on six counts charge of provocation, unlawful conversion of funds and publication of nudes on social media without the consent of the persons. The charge read in part, “That you, Amarah Kennedy, sometime in September 2022, in a hotel, at Olodi Apapa, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, insulted, annoyed, disgraced and/or provoke one Adams Kadijal Gbemisola without her consent did share her nude in the social media and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24 of the Cybercrime Stalking (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015.  “That you, Amarah Kennedy, on June 4, 2023, at the Olodi Apapa area of Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, insulted, annoyed, embarrassed, provoke one Nne Esther Ogbuji ‘ withou...

Thai authorities have found the dismembered body of a missing German businessman in a freezer. The search for Hans-Peter Mack, 62, reached a tragic end on Monday night as police located his remains in a garbage bag at a rented house in Nong Prue, a city in southern Thailand. Two German suspects have been arrested. Mack, a property broker who lived with his Thai wife in the eastern city of Pattaya, had been missing since 4 July. Police say the two suspects conspired to murder Mack, then transported and concealed his body. Mack was last seen in his Mercedes sedan in Pattaya, according to a missing-person notice put up by his family, who offered 3mn baht (£66,000; $128,000) for information on his whereabouts. The car was found on Sunday in the parking lot of a condominium in Nong Prue, reports say. Along with the body, investigators discovered a cordless chainsaw, a pair of hedge clippers, and rolls of plastic, according to footage aired on Thai television channels. Police als...

A Lagos State High Court sitting in the Ikeja area of the state, on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced a former hotel worker, Jeffrey Ehizojie, to death by hanging for killing the owner of Etashol and Suites Hotel, Olusola Olusoga, and the manager of the hotel, Tunji Omikunle, in the Ojodu Berger area of the state. Justice Oyindamola Ogala found Ehizojie, 30, guilty of beating and strangulating Olusoga. Ogala held that the prosecution proved the two-count charge of murder beyond a reasonable doubt. In her judgment, the judge held that the crux of the case of the prosecution was premised upon the confessional statement of the convict as well as circumstantial evidence. She stated that the court had carefully considered the retracted defence statement, which showed where Ehizojie stated that one of the hotel workers, Henry, had informed him that he observed that the owner of the hotel kept much money at home. Ogala said, “The defendant, in his confessional statement, said Oluso...

A mechanic, identified simply as Ejike, has been accused of defiling the eight-year-old daughter of his neighbour at his residence on Abule Oke Street, in the Ayobo area of Lagos State. PUNCH Metro  gathered that the victim and her mother were at home when the mother, while preparing to get something outside, heard Ejike’s wife calling her daughter to assist her in doing some domestic chores at their flat. The victim’s mother said she did not oppose her neighbour’s request, adding that her daughter was not just assisting them in doing their domestic chores. She, however, said things took another turn when she returned and met her daughter crying. The victim’s mother stated that she asked her daughter why she was crying and she explained to her that Ejike allegedly raped her. The 34-year-old lady said, “I live in the same compound with Ejike and his wife at Abule Oke in Ayobo in a single room. I went to get something outside but before I left, Ejike’s wife called my daug...

The Lagos State Police Command, on Tuesday, confirmed the arrest of a 23-year-old man, Kehinde Asimiyu, for allegedly defiling a 16-year-old student of the Government Technical College, Ado Soba, in the Trade Fair area of the state. PUNCH Metro  gathered that the minor was on her way to school when Asimiyu accosted her around 6am and forced her into his apartment against the minor’s will. While in the apartment, it was learnt that Asimiyu allegedly defiled the girl and thereafter, released her. It was learnt that when the minor got to school, she reported the incident to her principal who informed the police that arrested Asimiyu. The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Tuesday, said the suspect, during interrogation, confessed to the crime. He said, “On July 11, 2023, around 6am at the Trade Fair area, one Kehinde Asimiyu, 23, accosted and dragged to his apartment, a 16-year-old student of the Government Technical College, Ado Soba. “The vic...

The Osun State Police Command, on Tuesday, said the policemen involved in the extortion of N20,000 from an admission seeker, Sodiq Oladebo, in the state, had been identified and were undergoing a probe of their action. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the development in a post using the command’s  Twitter  handle,  @OsunPPRO . The post read,  “I want to update you about the case of extortion on the Ilesa Expressway. The policemen have been identified and are presently undergoing a disciplinary process. I assure you that they will be dealt with decisively. The money collected had been returned to the victim.” The victim, Oladebo, in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, commended the police for their swift intervention on the matter. “I didn’t know they would refund the money. I was surprised everything went well. I sent my account number to the Osun PPRO. She was the one that told me I would be refunded. About...

A 30-year-old man identified simply as David, who is said to be under the influence of hard drugs, has allegedly stabbed a cleric, Akeem Ojiwusi, to death around Odekeye close, in the Abule Egba area of Lagos State.   PUNCH Metro  gathered that David was fond of committing different crimes whenever he got intoxicated and his actions usually put him at loggerheads with his neighbours. On the fateful day the crime was committed, Ojiwusi’s relative, who identified himself simply as Sefiu, said he was at home when the cleric sent him to buy some drugs for his treatment. While on his way to get the drugs, Sefiu told our correspondent that he suddenly started hearing Ojiwusi screaming for help, adding that he ran back and saw David, who appeared to be acting under the influence of hard drugs, stabbing the cleric repeatedly. He said, “He (Ojiwusi) sent me to buy some drugs for him and when I was going towards the gate, I heard a scream from our compound and ran back and s...

A 72-year-old resident of Ede, Osun State, Kareem Aderemi, has died by suicide after reportedly shooting himself with a gun at his residence in the Ede area of Osun State. The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state, Kehinde Adeleke, confirmed the incident during an interview with our correspondent on Monday. Adeleke said the deceased, who was said to be battling some ailments including partial blindness, reportedly perpetrated the act at his residence at Alapo’s compound, Ede, on Monday. She said, “On July 10, 2023, around 12.50pm, at Alapo’s compound, Ede, Ede North LGA, one Kareem Aderemi, 72, of 45, allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself on the lower jaw with a local barrel. “Preliminary investigation revealed that late Aderemi had been battling with Parkinson’s disease and partial eye problems without adequate care. We learnt he had been living alone for some months before he allegedly committed suicide. “It is per...

Policemen attached to the Tolu Division of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five suspected cult members during initiation in the Ajegunle area of the state. The suspects include Peter Odumola, 19, Promise Benjamin, 20, Emmanuel Ikechuckwu, 19, Richards Adu, 18, and Abdullahi Nasiru, 20. PUNCH Metro  gathered that the arrest followed a distress call received by the Divisional Police Officer, Tolu Division, that some suspected cultists were forcefully initiating a new member in a hotel in the area. The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday, said policemen arrested five suspects and rescued the new member that was being forcefully initiated. He said, “Operatives of the Tolu Division of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five suspected cultists, Peter Odumola, 19, Promise Benjamin, 20, Emmanuel Ikechuckwu, 19, Richards Adu, 18, and Abdullahi Nasiru, 20. “The suspects were arrest...

An account holder with the Keystone Bank, Bala Ibrahim, has been finding it difficult to meet his financial needs after an erstwhile manager of a branch of the bank in the Agege area of Lagos State, Tijani Saleh, allegedly made an unauthorised withdrawal of N5.9m from his corporate account. Ibrahim, while speaking with our correspondent, said efforts to get the bank to refund his money proved abortive. PUNCH Metro  gathered that Ibrahim opened a corporate account with the bank and funded the account with N20m. Shortly after funding the account, Ibrahim said he was in need of N5.9m to fund some of the projects his company was doing but had yet to be given a cheque to withdraw money from the corporate account. In a bid to get the money withdrawn, Ibrahim said he approached the bank manager to advise him on the options to explore to enable him to withdraw the money, adding that the manager demanded the letter-headed paper of his company to process the request. The business...

The family of two brothers, Abdulmalik Abubakar and Ibrahim Abdullahi, have demanded justice after members of a vigilance group shot them in the Bobota/Dabi Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. PUNCH Metro  gathered that the brothers were sleeping in their room on Sunday, July 9 when members of the vigilance group invaded the premises and suddenly started shooting. It was learnt that one of the bullets hit the two brothers in the leg and buttocks and in a bid to rescue them, the duo were rushed to the hospital for treatment. In a video made available to our correspondent, one of the brothers, Abdulmalik, while writhing in pain on the hospital bed, said he was shot because he refused to give members of the vigilance group his phone. He said, “Is it because of my phone that they want to shoot me? I will not give them my phone. It’s not yours, it’s mine.” Speaking with our correspondent, the victims’ sister, Jemilah, while demanding justice, said the family...

Unknown persons have allegedly carted away the recently reinstalled airfield lighting systems at the domestic runway 18/36L of Murtala Muhammad Airport. The PUNCH  gathered that the disappearance of the approach lighting systems had raised security concerns in Nigeria’s busiest airports. According to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity, those who carted away the lighting systems took advantage of the closure of the runway for over three months. The source alleged that some FAAN workers connived with outsiders to steal the airport lighting equipment. “The criminal took advantage of the closure to commit the crime. I cannot give the actual worth of the theft, but almost all the lighting was removed. The permanent secretary came around to see for himself the huge damage done. A lot of FAAN officials have been suspended,” the source confirmed. The PUNCH  also gathered that some heads of relevant departments at FAAN have been suspended over the missing lighting...

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) has said it would withdraw the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination(UTME) result of Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma for parading a fake score.   A statement released by the board's Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin, on Sunday July 2, says Mmesoma scored 249 in the examination as against the 362 she is parading. The organisation said it would prosecute Miss Ejikeme for tampering with its result. It added that Miss Ejikeme was offered a N3 million scholarship by founder of Innoson motors, Innocent Chukwuma for scoring 362 in the 2023 UTME.   The statement reads;   “The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) has been drawn to several publications in both print and online media celebrating certain candidates for being high scorers in the 2023 UTME. The Board is constrained to set the records straight and wishes to state unequivocally that many of the results which many of...

A yet-to-be-identified Nigerian man has died after he was allegedly stabbed to death in Lagos following a fight that broke out at a nightclub located in the Iju area of the state. According to The Cable, the incident happened at Lounge 95 in the early hours of Saturday, January 15. A resident of the area claimed the victim had a disagreement with the bouncer and this led to a fight. “The guy was stabbed at the club after a disagreement with one of the bouncers at the club. After his death, his friends or some people that knew him came to the police, before the police came to the place” he said  Olamide Ogunlewe one of the police officers on the ground, said an investigation was ongoing on the case.