Landlord burns tenant’s 3-yr-old son to death in Ogun

The Ogun State police command have arrested 65 year old landlord, Joseph Olaleye (pictured above) for allegedly setting ablaze the 3 year old son of his tenant Abdulahi Razaq at his residence in Olowosatide, Owode Ijako Ota in Ado Odo Otta LGA of the state on Monday August 30

The accused and the deceased father were having an argument when the accused threw an ignited kerosene stove at the boy, causing severe injuries on the little boy who was confirmed dead by a hospital where he was immediately rushed to.

A statement from the spokesperson of the state police command, Muyiwa Adejobi, says the accused will be charged to court soon

    “The Commissioner of Police Ogun State CP Abdulmajid Ali, who described the incident as unfortunate, has directed that the suspect be charged to court after investigation without any delay. The Police boss has however sympathised with the family of the late young boy and assured them, as well as Good people of Ogun state, of justice in the matter”.

Source: Vanguard

Lawyer Re-Arraigned For Defiling Nine-Year-Old In Court Premises (Photo)

The police in Lagos on Monday brought a 40-year-old lawyer, Christopher Uzomaka, before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, on fresh four charges bordering on unlawful penetration into the private parts of a nine-year-old girl.

It was learnt that the victim lived with her parents in London, United Kingdom and had come to Nigeria on vacation.

Uzomaka had been arraigned on August 12 before the court on three counts related to the alleged crime which he was said to have committed inside one of the courtrooms in the magistrate’s court.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the minor had followed her grandma, who is a claimant in a civil matter before the court, to the premises on August 11 when the incident happened.

It was gathered that the lawyer, who the woman wanted to engage to handle the case, was initially playing with the victim before he lured her into the vacant courtroom, where he reportedly carried out the act.

The girl was said to have rushed from the court in tears and told her grandmother that the lawyer fondled her breast, and dipped his finger into her private parts.

The grandmother said the victim had declined to speak on the incident until she took her to a secluded place on the court premises.

Our correspondent was told that the lawyer was arrested and taken to the Lion Building Police Station.

A police prosecutor, Sergeant A. Koti, brought Uzomaka before the presiding magistrate, Mr. L.A. Owolabi, on four counts of sexual assault.

The charges read in part, “That you, Christopher Uzomaka, on August 12, 2015, at about 12.45pm at the Court 4 of the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court in Lagos Magisterial District, did sexually assault by penetrating the anus and vagina of a nine-year-old girl and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.

“That you on the same date, time and place, in the aforesaid magisterial district did cause the girl to engage in a sexual activity without her consent.

“That you did willfully and without lawful excuse perpetrate an indecent act in a public place and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 134 sub-section (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges and prayed the court to grant him bail in liberal terms.

Owolabi granted him bail in the sum of N400,000 with two sureties in like sum. He said the sureties must show evidence of tax payments and should deposit N100,000 to the account of the state chief registrar as parts of his bail conditions.

He added that one of the sureties must be a lawyer who had been practising for 10 years.

While adjourning the case till September 14, 2015, the magistrate ordered that the case file be sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

The Giant Pythons Of Ihiala

In many places in Igboland, the python is regarded as a ‘sacred being’ which no one is expected to kill, harm or maltreat. It is an age-long observance because to most Igbo communities, Eke or python is seen as the symbol of the sea or river goddess. It protects and provides for the people, both in terms of wealth, fertility and long life. To the people, eke is a harmless ‘being’ and it is actually harmless to those who do not kill it. To them, eke symbolises peace, prosperity and abundance, especially in the waters.

At Umuohi, Okija, in Ihiala local government area of Anambra state, a man called Ukata Nnanna in an interview gave a clearer picture of why the eke has come to be regarded as being so sacred and in some places is worshipped as a goddess.

"The story of eke we have here is sacred and different. But before we go on, it is good to point out that the mystery surrounding eke is greater than most of us can actually understand. Our own case is quite peculiar. In the olden days, our people used to provide shelter for strangers. This was how the issue of eke became a symbol of respect and regards here in our village", Nnanna said, grinning and shaking his head repeatedly.

"There was one certain aged widow who was said to have been driven away by her husband people. She set out on a journey, a journey she did not know where it would take her. When she got to Umuohi, Okija, she stopped and begged our people to provide a place for her to rest her feet. She was by then too tired to continue on her way.

"Our people did not only give her a place to settle down, she was also asked to remain with us. Without knowing it, our people had given shelter and hope to a woman with plenty of mysterious powers. Before the woman died she made a lot of promises to our people. In the first place she asked that her house be built by the riverside. No one knew why she made that sort of request. But then at her death she decreed that no Umuohi woman should be maltreated by her husband people. And wherever she is married to, on the first night of her arrival, a python would appear to encourage and strengthen her. To date, this situation still exists; that once an Umuohi woman is being threatened at her husband’s place, a python appears, sometimes a very big one that would frighten people out of their wits. For this reason, a lot of people are sceptical about marrying an Umuohi woman.

"The woman did not even die. She turned into eke. She lives inside the Okpu stream or if you like river, which is along Owerri-Onitsha road, Anambra state. There you can see this big python and it comes out once the sun is out to suntan. This is what it does everyday. It is so huge that a lot of people are scared of it," Nnanna stressed. "But we the Umuohi people are not," he boasted.

The python which is called eke ogwugwu-mili therefore is said to be the mother of all the pythons that litter the length and breath of Igboland. Today, anyone who kills or maims eke either knowingly or unknowingly is compelled to buy all the necessary materials with which to bury it. These range from white cloth, to coffin, kola nuts, white chalk and so on. The coffin would be placed in a conspicuous place where passers-by are wont to pay condolences and show some sign of remorse. Where one fails to bury the eke in the traditional way, more stringent punishments will be placed on him and members of his family. Sometimes he would be ostracised or banished from the land depending on the circumstances of the death of the python. Some even have small pox sickness placed on them.

It is because of all these that eke does not bite the natives of Okija and other places where these observances are made. If eke bites one by error, all it does is to hiss, and then the bite will have no effect on the person. Even then, Christians also obey the law; they too do not kill eke. Why would anyone kill it when it does not harm him? Some people would often ask. Eke is a common sight in many places in Igboland where they are at liberty to crawl without let or hindrance. There is the eke Idemili (for Idemili, river). There is also eke Ogba which is supposed to be the king of all the pythons. That one lives inside huge forests and so has no contact with human civilization.

Each area gives the eke a name according to what it does for them and the deity it represents. For some, it is eke atamili’ or eke nkwo ocha, all in the name of what place it has in their communal lifestyle and existence. Today at Umuohi, Okija, eke still remains their symbol, some kind of rallying point. And you are not expected to treat their daughters with disdain and disrespect.

Photo of ex governor Akpabio's car after the accident yesterday

Below is the Mercedes Benz car former Akwa Ibom state governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio was riding in with his driver when it had an accident at Bolingo Junction close to Ship House in Abuja yesterday morning. Akpabio who suffered injury to his chest was discharged from the National Hospital Abuja yesterday evening.

Female politician killed in Ondo

A 50-year old female politician, Mrs. Ronke Adelugba, was on Sunday night allegedly beaten
to death in her house in Akure, the Ondo State capital, by policemen who allegedly invaded her
house in search of a suspected criminal.

The woman, who was until her death the Woman Leader of the Accord Party (AP) in Ward 5, Akure
South Local Government Area, was allegedly hit with a gun butt and beaten by two of the seven
policemen who came to her house after an argument with her.

The seven policemen, who came in a white police Hilux van with registration umber NPF 4236 B,
had stormed the house located at No. 1,Akinyemi Street, off Ijoka Road, Akure, after
searching a nearby bush for some boys believed to be smoking Indian hemp in the area.
Unable to find anybody in the bush, the policemen then headed to Mrs. Adelugba’s house to see if the boys were hiding there.

However, an argument ensued, with Mrs. Adelugba insisting that only her own children were in her three bedroom house.

Insisting that she would not let her children be arrested without any explanation or warrant, Mrs
Adelugba was shoved, beaten and hit with a gun butt and in the process slumped and died.

The policemen then allegedly fled the scene after the residents of the area gathered but the residents later carried the lifeless body of the woman to the Ala Police Station where the policemen came from.

Akpabio’s Vehicle Collided With Ours – US Embassy

The United States Embassy has confirmed that the convoy of former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, collided with a suburban jeep belonging to the mission on Monday.

The Senior Information Specialist in the embassy, Sani Mohammed, said local authorities had commenced investigation into the accident.

When asked about the condition of the driver and the vehicle involved in the crash, Mohammed said he did not know.

He said, “A US embassy vehicle was involved in the accident. We are staying in touch with local authorities who are investigating, but I don’t know the condition of the driver and the vehicle.”

But the Head, Media Relations and Strategy, Federal Road Safety Corps, Bisi Kazeem, said seven adult males were involved in the crash, adding that three of them including Akpabio sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital.

“A suburban jeep and a Mercedes Benz SUV were involved in the accident; the suburban was towed to the embassy while the Benz SUV was towed to the Central Police Station. Our accident investigation team has already commenced investigation, so it is too early to know the cause of the accident,” he said.

Akpabio, who is currently the Minority Leader of the Senate, was involved in a car accident in the early hours of Monday on his way to the airport to catch an international flight.

One of our correspondents learnt that his car ran into a convoy of some US embassy officials while trying to beat the traffic light.

An officer of the FRSC, who craved anonymity, told one of our correspondents that the occupants of the vehicles in the convoy of the US embassy and Akpabio’s driver did not sustain any injury but that the senator suffered some injuries in the chest region.

The FRSC officer, who was at the scene of the accident which occurred around 7.25am near the Bolingo Hotel, along Abuja Airport Road, in the Central Business District of the FCT, stated that Akpabio was immediately rushed to the National Hospital for an intensive care.

One of the senator’s aides, who was sighted at the National Hospital on Monday, told one of our correspondents that Akpabio was travelling outside the country to visit his wife and children when the accident happened.

The Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi, who was one of the early callers at the hospital, explained that medical personnel at the hospital told her that the Akwa-Ibom North-West senator was in a stable condition.

Also, the current Governor of Akwa -Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, who was sighted at the hospital, did not speak with journalists when he got there around 12.10pm.

The Chief Information Officer of the National Hospital, Hajia Rabiah Labaran, told journalists that Akpabio was brought to the hospital by some FRSC officers who rescued him from the scene of the accident.

Labaran said, “He (Akpabio) was brought in this morning after he had a car crash as I learnt. He was brought in from the Bolingo Hotel junction, where a vehicle crashed into his own vehicle from behind.

“When they brought him we conducted a check on him and the result showed that he did not have any serious injury. He was talking when he was brought in and they gave him necessary attention at the trauma unit.

“I learnt that as of this afternoon (12:30pm), he was taken to the private wing of the hospital for proper care but there was no serious injury.

“It is something he can come over in a few days. He is currently recuperating,” she added.

A source, however, told one of our correspondents last night that Akpabio had been discharged from the hospital. The source, who is one of the aides of the senator, said he was discharged from the hospital around 4pm after the doctors had certified him fit to continue treatment after the necessary prescriptions.

But Labaran declined further comments on Akpabio’s treatment when contacted last night.

Photos: Five people killed by gunmen on their way to a market in Plateau State

The story as narrated by Minority Report NG. At around 8am yesterday August 31st, 5 indigenes of Tanti in Bokkos LGA of Plateau State, comprising of 3 men and two women set out to Mai Katako market in Bokkos. One of the women had her 3 month old baby with her.

The group was attacked before they got to the market. The gunmen shot the 5 adults and the baby and hacked the faces of the adults with machetes. According to him, the baby survived and is currently receiving proper medical attention in a hospital. See photos of those slaughtered after the cut...