nation0428

56 THE NATION TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015
NEWS
Disquiet in Delta over murder of youth
From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri
Ekpan Town Hall, shooting
sporadically.
It was learnt that the killing
of Olomu led to the
death of another resident,
Sunday Leleji, who reportedly
died of shock on hearing
about the death of the
youth leader.
Olomu, who was to be inaugurated
with other elected
Ekpan Community Trust
members, was reportedly attacked
on his way to the cer-
emony.
Community sources, who
witnessed the killing, said his
attackers used knife and gun
on him.
The assailants were said to
have stabbed and shot him.
He reportedly died before he
was taken to hospital.
His remains were deposited
at the morgue of a private
hospital in Ekpan.
Businesses were closed
when the killing occurred.
The arrival of security operatives
restored normalcy
THERE was disquiet
yesterday in Ekpan in
Uvwie Local Govern-
ment Area of Delta State, following
the killing of a youth
leader, Abraham Edesiri
Olomu, by assailants.
His murder led to the suspension
of the inauguration
of officials of the Ekpan Community
Trust, of which
Olomu was the financial secretary-elect.
The ceremony was terminated
when angry gunwielding
youths besieged the
yesterday but the residents
were scared for fear of reprisal
attack.
Police spokesman
Celestina Kalu, a Deputy Superintendent
of Police (DSP),
said the command had begun
investigation into the
matter.
He said: “Yes, the incident
occurred and the killers escaped
before police arrived.
Expended shells of the ammunition
used were recovered.
Our crack team is on
their trail to get the killers.”
•From left: Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah; German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Micheal Zenner and Commandant,
1 Divison, Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Osuji, at the inuaguration of Nigerian Army Peace-keeping Medical Centre in Jaji, Kaduna State ...
yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
Suspected homosexual killed in Edo
THE outlawed homosexual
act has led to
the death of a suspected
gay lover in Benin, the
Edo State capital.
Residents, especially
youths, of Ojo Street and its
environs at Egor Quarters
were on rampage at the
Aghedo family house located
at 52 Ojo Street, off Uwasota
Road, in search of a member
of the family and suspected
gay, Nosa Daniel Aghedo.
It was learnt that trouble
started at the Aghedo family
house when an elderly
From Osemwengie Ben
Ogbemudia, Benin
woman allegedly caught
Nosa and his suspected gay
lover, identified as Stafford
Ariri, at 1pm on March 28
when most adults were at the
polling centres for the presidential
and National Assembly
elections.
An eyewitness said the
woman raised the alarm that
attracted a large crowd.
The mob attacked the gay
partners by allegedly hitting
them with planks, stones and
other weapons.
It was learnt that the police
were called in and they reportedly
watched as the
crowd lynched one of the gay
lovers.
Nosa reportedly escaped
but Stafford did not.
He died on the way to the
hospital, following the serious
injuries he sustained in
the attack.
Nosa’s escape infuriated
the mob, prompting them to
rush back to his house to ensure
that he faced the same
fate as Stafford.
The mob burnt down the
Aghedo house as what was
called the atonement for his
abominable act.
Police spokesman, Stephen
Onwocha, a Deputy Superintendent
of Police (DSP), said
the incident was reported to
the command.
The spokesman said an arrest
warrant had been issued
for Nosa’s arrest, adding that
the police had begun a manhunt
for him.
INEC declares Akwa Ibom constituency’s rerun result
THE Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) candidate
has won the rescheduled
Ukanafun seat in
the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly.
The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC)
declared the results of the
poll held last Saturday.
PDP’s Otobong Jonathan
Akpan was declared winner of
the election, having got 41,691,
the highest number of votes.
His closest rival, Kufre
James Umo, of the Labour
Party (LP), polled 307 votes.
The popular APC candidate
for the election, Okon
Uwah, was murdered by
Kidnapped Bayelsa’s council chair freed by abductors
THE kidnapped Chairman
of Ogbia, the Local
Government Area
of President Goodluck
Jonathan in Bayelsa State, Mr.
Anya Abah, has been freed
by his abductors.
Abah was kidnapped by a
four-man gang on April 22 on
Otuasega-Okaki Road.
His police orderly was said
to have fled, following the
gunshots the hoodlums fired
to scare away likely rescuers
•Partner on the run
From Uyoatta Eshiet, Uyo
thugs at a campaign a few
weeks to the elections.
Addressing reporters yesterday,
the Resident Electoral
Commissioner (REC), Austin
Okojie, hailed the electorate
and other stakeholders for
their orderly conduct during
From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa
of the council chief.
The abductors dragged
Abah out of his vehicle at
gunpoint and took him to
Okarki, in neighbouring Rivers
State, from where they
sped away in a waiting
speedboat.
It was learnt that Abah was
freed by his abductors at 8:45
pm on Sunday on the
Ogonoko waterside in Abua/
the poll.
Okojie said he was impressed
by the huge turnout
of voters and their orderliness.
He said: “The conduct of
the voters and the stakeholders
showed that the people of
the area are politically sophisticated
and peace-loving.
Odua Local Government
Area of Rivers State.
Police spokesman Butswat
Asinim, an Assistant Superintendent
of Police (ASP), said
the council chairman was
abandoned by his kidnappers.
He said Abah’s assailants,
sensing that the special force
of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad
was closing in on them, abandoned
him and fled.
“Our policemen were on
ground after adequate intelli-
This made the job of the commission
less arduous.
“Everything went on as
planned: materials were in
almost all the units as early
as 7 am, accreditation went
off smoothly and voting
started and ended as scheduled
and without any incident.”
Ohanaeze appoints interim exco in Akwa Ibom
THE leadership crisis
rocking the Akwa
Ibom chapter of
Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s youth
wing has led to the appointment
of an interim exco.
The umbrella body of the
Igbo appointed the interim
exco to coordinate the affairs
of the Akwa Ibom State chapter,
pending the conduct of an
election.
The National President of
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth
Wing, Chief Okechukwu
Isiguzoro, at a town hall
meeting of the state chapter
in Uyo, the state capital, dissolved
the executives of state
youth wing because of issues
on parallel leadership.
gence gathering. We beamed
our searchlight on the area
because of earlier intelligence
gathered. The kidnappers got
scared and abandoned their
victim.”
The police spokesman said
the sister to the victim informed
the police of attempts
by the kidnappers to collect
a ransom.
He said no ransom was
paid, adding that Abah was
released in good health.
TWO suspected murderers
were yesterday
paraded by the Akwa
Ibom State Police Command
for the killing Pastor Okon
Nana.
The deceased was killed
and buried in a shallow grave
by Usen Akpan and Friday
Akpan for land tussle in Ika
Local Government Area.
The late Nana was killed by
the suspects on October 18,
2014, after being abducted
from his home by the hoodlums
and taken to a plantation
forest in Ika.
Briefing reporters at the Police
Headquarters in Uyo, the
state capital, the Assistant
Commissioner of Police in
charge of State CID, ACP
Mike Okoli, said the suspects
killed their uncle, the late
Nana, in disagreement over
a portion of land.
The late Nana was a maternal
uncle to Usen.
ACP Okoli explained that
when the disagreement
started, the village head,
Effiong Paul summoned a
meeting on how to settle the
dispute but Usen didn’t show
up but claimed he had something
urgent to do in Port
Harcourt.
The Police chief said on the
eve of the meeting Usen conspired
with other people and
broke into the home of Nana
and adopted him while he
was sleeping with his wife.
According to him, it was
through investigation that
the police discovered Nana
had been killed.
He added that the suspects
tied his hands to his back,
beat him to death, and buried
him in the shallow grave.
Okoli said when the police
questioned Usen and asked
why he did not attend the
meeting, it was then Usen
became confused and was
unable to tell the police what
the matter was all about.
The body of the deceased,
according to ACP Okoli, was
later exhumed by the Anti
Robbery Team at a plantation
forest in Ika based on their
confession.
•The suspected murderers ... yesterday
Arase’s appointment based on
merit, says group
AGROUP, Esan Renaissance
Union (Youth
Wing) has backed the
appointment of Inspector-
General of Police Solomon
Arase, saying it was based on
merit.
It faulted criticisms of
Arase’s appointment, adding
that he fully deserves the job.
In a communiqué at the end
of its emergency conference
in Benin City, Edo State capital,
signed by its President
Aigbefo Ireteose (Jnr) and
Secretary Jude Ehichioya, the
group noted that Arase is the
only IGP from the Midwest.
“Arase’s appointment was
not based on any political,
tribal or religious sentiment
Akwa Ibom
Police arrest two
for killing cleric
From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo
His words: “On the eve of
the meeting, Usen Akpan
went with his gang to the
home of Pastor Okon Nana
and abducted him.
“Investigation continued
until the second conspirator,
Friday Akpan (alias 18) was
arrested. Friday has been at
large because he was a party
in the dispute over the land
and refused to attend the
truce meeting. So, he disappeared.
Police went into investigation
and intensive
search until he was arrested.
“When he was arrested under
interrogation, he owned
up, that yes they did the act,
they killed this man buried
him in a shallow grave.
“We did not stop there, we
asked them to take the police
to the shallow grave where
they buried the man. The
man had been declared missing
since October 18, 2014.
Eventually, they took the police
detectives to a forest in
Ikot Ubo, Ika council, where
they dug the skeletal parts of
the man out of the shallow
grave with his hands tied to
his back.
“The police made arrangement
for complete exhumation,
the body was exhumed; we invited
a pathologist for autopsy
to confirm the cause of death to
assist us in prosecution.”
One of the suspects, Usen
said his uncle (late Nana) had
killed five of his siblings
through witchcraft.
He said he was also trying to
kill him before he organised
youths to eliminate him in the
forest.
“He had killed five of us. I
was the only one left. He confessed
to the killing and
vowed to also kill me. I went
to him, knelt before him and
begged him, but he struck me
with sickness. When I became
confused, I had to do what I
did”, the suspect said.
but purely on merit, diligence
and dedication to duty.
“Any act of criticisms/accusations
levelled against the
appointment of the new IGP
is baseless, barbaric, unpalatable,
sentimental and
retrogrssive. It beats our
imagination!
“Our country is one indivisible
and indissoluble entity
and no part has it all,” the
group said.
It disagreed with those
criticising President
Goodluck Jonathan for sacking
former IGP Suleiman
Abba, saying the President
“has the power to hire and
fire whenever such need
arises.”