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6 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022<br />
2 killed in<br />
Agbarho as<br />
assassins storm<br />
drugstore<br />
By Jimitota Onoyume<br />
SUSPECTED<br />
assassins<br />
reportedly stormed a chemist<br />
around the popular 5-junction,<br />
weekend, in Agbarho in Ughelli North<br />
Local Government Area of Delta State,<br />
shooting sporadically, after which two<br />
persons were confirmed killed.<br />
Details of the incident were hazy but<br />
community sources said the gunmen<br />
shot around the chemist, killing a young<br />
man in the area.<br />
Vanguard also gathered that another<br />
target, who was simply identified as<br />
Chief, whisked away by the suspected<br />
assassins, was later found dead.<br />
The spokesman, Delta State Police<br />
Command, DSP Bright Dafe,<br />
confirmed the death of Chief.<br />
"I can confirm the death of Chief only<br />
please," he said in a text message to<br />
Vanguard.<br />
Community sources said the<br />
suspected assassins came for Chief.<br />
"They came for one Chief in the area,<br />
so we heard. They shot at him several<br />
times before they took him away.“<br />
6 land grabbers<br />
arraigned over<br />
attack on<br />
construction<br />
firm<br />
By Mathew Johnson<br />
LAGOS—SIX suspected land<br />
grabbers were, yesterday,<br />
arraigned before the Tinubu Chief<br />
Magistrates Court, Lagos State,<br />
following an attack on a construction<br />
engineering company in the Araromi<br />
Ale, Lagos / Badagry expressway.<br />
The accused persons: Ayuba<br />
Olabimtan, Moses Balogun, Ajose<br />
Ademola, Thomas Akilapa, Joshua<br />
Ajose and Keke Sunday, were arrested<br />
by the Force Criminal Investigation<br />
Department, Abuja.<br />
An earlier report had it that the<br />
suspects were abducted by the owner<br />
of the engineering firm and an estate<br />
agent identified as Mutairu Owoeye<br />
and taken to an unknown<br />
destination.<br />
But the Prosecutor, Fadipe<br />
Abraham, told the court, presided<br />
over by Magistrate K. B. Ayeye, that<br />
the arrested persons and others at<br />
large forcefully gained entrance into<br />
the engineering company' s premises<br />
,an action which he described as<br />
contempt of court order.<br />
In a 3-count charge, the suspects<br />
were accused of maliciously damaging<br />
properties at the engineering firm and<br />
threatening the lives of its workers.<br />
The court directed that the accused<br />
persons be remanded in the Ikoyi<br />
Correctional Centre, pending when they<br />
met the bail condition of two sureties<br />
and N500,000 each.<br />
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058<br />
:Vanguard<br />
News<br />
Tricycle operator beats colleague<br />
to death in Akure<br />
By Dayo Johnson<br />
AKURE—A 35-year-old tricycle<br />
operator, Adebayo Titus, was,<br />
weekend, beaten to death by his<br />
colleague, Akintelure Festus, over a<br />
minor argument, in Oke-Aro area of<br />
Ondo State.<br />
Vanguard gathered that the tricycle<br />
operators in the community met and<br />
agreed that the potholes on the roads be<br />
filled to make it passable by their<br />
Imo monarch, 2 aides shot dead<br />
—Police<br />
By Chinonso Alozie<br />
OWERRI—IMO State Police<br />
Command, yesterday,<br />
confirmed that the traditional ruler of<br />
Obudi Agwa, in Oguta Local<br />
Government Area of Imo state, Eze<br />
Ignatius Asor, and two of his aides, have<br />
been shot dead by hoodlums suspected<br />
to be members of the Eastern Security<br />
Network, ESN.<br />
The state Police Public Relations<br />
Officer, PPRO, Mike Abattam,<br />
confirmed the incident to newsmen in<br />
Owerri.<br />
He said the hoodlums drove to the<br />
palace of the monarch and pretended<br />
to be persons in distress that needed help.<br />
It was when the monarch welcomed<br />
tricycles.<br />
But, reports had it that on the day<br />
scheduled for the exercise, the deceased<br />
refused to join others to fix the potholes.<br />
An argument reportedly ensued<br />
between the deceased and the suspects<br />
that degenerated into fierce fisticuffs.<br />
The deceased was reportedly hit<br />
severely and he collapsed before being<br />
rushed to a nearby hospital on Saturday<br />
where he died the following day.<br />
Contacted, the state police<br />
spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami,<br />
confirmed the death of the tricycle<br />
operator.<br />
Odunlami said that the duo engaged<br />
in a fight and in the process, the deceased<br />
was hit and collapsed.“She added that<br />
"the man was rushed by people around<br />
the vicinity of the fight.<br />
The victim collapsed as a result of the fight<br />
on Saturday and was confirmed dead early<br />
Sunday morning at the hospital.<br />
The case was reported at our ‘B’ Division<br />
area Headquarters in Akure.“Odunlami said<br />
that the suspect would soon be charged to<br />
court.<br />
•Two of the arrested fake dollar syndicate paraded by the corps, yesterday.<br />
NSCDC smashes fake dollar syndicate,<br />
recovers $15,400 notes<br />
By Omeiza Ajayi<br />
ABUJA—ACTING on credible<br />
intelligence, the Special<br />
Intelligence Squad of the Commandant<br />
General, Nigeria Security and Civil<br />
Defence Corps, NSCDC, has smashed<br />
a notorious fake dollar syndicate.<br />
It was gathered that the syndicate<br />
specialises in the printing, sales and<br />
distribution of fake United States Dollar<br />
notes.<br />
Director, Public Relations at the<br />
NSCDC headquarters, DCC Olusola<br />
Odumosu, said the syndicate had been<br />
operating for the past 10 years around<br />
'Heart Plaza', Mararaba, under the<br />
bridge in Karu Local Government Area<br />
of Nasarawa State, before luck ran out<br />
on them.<br />
The report also revealed that they had<br />
swindled many individuals of millions<br />
of naira under the guise of black market<br />
operators exchanging Nigerian naira<br />
for US Dollars thereby issuing fake<br />
dollar notes to their unsuspecting<br />
victims.<br />
In a clandestine operation carried out<br />
by the CG's SIS, the suspects were<br />
smoked out of their hideout in a sting<br />
operation which saw personnel trying<br />
to exchange the sum of N250,000 for<br />
US dollars.<br />
Two members of the syndicate arrested<br />
were found in possession of a total of<br />
$15,400 fake US Dollars. They are Ya'u<br />
Muhammed 'M', 65 years old, from Warji<br />
LGA, Bauchi State and Lamido Usman<br />
'M' age 29yrs, La'u LGA from Taraba<br />
state.<br />
Other items recovered from the<br />
suspects include one First Bank ATM<br />
card, one screwdriver and an original<br />
$100 note.<br />
"The suspects are currently<br />
undergoing preliminary investigation<br />
after which they would be handed over<br />
alongside the exhibits to NSCDC<br />
Nasarawa State Command under<br />
whose jurisdiction the arrest took place<br />
for further action", Odumosu added.<br />
Nurse in police<br />
net for defiling<br />
14yr-old-girl<br />
inside hospital<br />
....Suspect<br />
suspended; matter<br />
under investigation<br />
—PS MOH<br />
By Ike Uchechukwu<br />
CALABAR—A male nurse,<br />
Austin Etim, who works with the<br />
General Hospital, Calabar, has been<br />
arrested by the police for allegedly<br />
defiling a 14-year-old girl inside the<br />
male ward of the hospital.<br />
The suspect, who was arrested,<br />
yesterday, following reports by the<br />
hospital management and<br />
intervention of the Ministry of Health,<br />
allegedly committed the said crime,<br />
weekend.<br />
Vanguard learned that the 14-yearold<br />
(name withheld), who was said to<br />
be taking care of her sick father at the<br />
hospital's male ward, while the mother<br />
was running around for other things,<br />
was sexually assaulted by the male<br />
nurse.<br />
According to sources in the hospital,<br />
the nurse used a scarf to tie up the<br />
victim before assaulting her.<br />
A nurse, who pleaded anonymity, told<br />
Vanguard that "the girl said he ( suspect)<br />
hit her twice before penetrating while<br />
tying her hands with a scarf, as she lost<br />
strength while shouting, but the suspect<br />
overpowered her and had his way.<br />
The next morning which was<br />
Sunday, the girl who was crying,<br />
reported the matter to another nurse<br />
on duty as well as her mum, who<br />
collapsed when she heard the incident.<br />
The furious mother called their<br />
pastor, who promised to come to the<br />
hospital after church service, but<br />
suddenly, the mother of the teenager<br />
changed her mind and said she didn't<br />
want the matter prosecuted any longer.<br />
However, Vanguard learned that the<br />
management of the hospital after<br />
severally interrogating the suspect, who<br />
denied being involved in such, called the<br />
police and the suspect was arrested.<br />
When contacted, the Permanent<br />
Secretary, Ministry of Health, MOH, Dr.<br />
Iwara Iwara, said the suspect has been<br />
suspended and the hospital has been given<br />
48 hours to medically examine the teenager<br />
and produce her medical report for onward<br />
prosecution of the matter.<br />
10 family members locked in iron cage over disputed land<br />
demand justice<br />
By Samuel Oyadongha &<br />
Emem Idio<br />
YENAGOA—TEN members of a<br />
family in Toru-Ndoro and Bulou-<br />
Ndoro communities in Ekeremor Local<br />
Government Area of Bayelsa State, who<br />
were reportedly locked up in an iron cell<br />
over a dispute on the ownership of creeks<br />
and lands, are demanding justice.<br />
The family, identified as the Otubo<br />
family in Ekeremor Local Government<br />
them into his palace that they, in the<br />
process, pulled out their guns and shot at<br />
the traditional ruler and two others.<br />
Abattam said: "Preliminary<br />
investigation revealed that the<br />
hoodlums came in four vehicles and<br />
two motorcycles, in the company of<br />
a woman, disguising themselves as<br />
persons in distress and have come<br />
to report an emergency to him."<br />
The unsuspecting Royal father<br />
allowed them into his palace and<br />
sat with them. While they explained<br />
the reason for their visit, they brought<br />
out guns, shot and killed the Eze and<br />
two of his aides, and hurriedly fled<br />
the palace.<br />
On their way, they attacked the<br />
office of the Agwa vigilante group,<br />
shot one person and made away with<br />
three motorcycles.<br />
Area of the state, in a petition to the state<br />
Commissioner of Police, accused the<br />
Chairmen of the Toru-Ndoro and Bulou-<br />
Ndoro Community Development<br />
Committee, Mr. Abunty Etifa-Hitler, and<br />
other members of the CDC, of subjecting<br />
their family members to inhuman<br />
treatment, after allegedly locking them<br />
up in an iron cage.<br />
According to the family, the victims<br />
were reportedly abducted from their<br />
houses, detained and locked up in the<br />
iron cage at Toru Ndoro on October 19,<br />
exposed to the elements of the weather<br />
and denied food and water over a dispute<br />
on the ownership of Ogbotobo creeks<br />
and lands which is their maternal home.<br />
The victims' names were given as<br />
Jacob Debekeme, Tamarau-brakaemi<br />
Hitler, Anotie ThankGod, Kemeagbeere<br />
ThankGod, Agbemo, Ebiema, Love,<br />
Emomotimi among others.<br />
Some weeks back, pictures emerged<br />
of how members of the Otubo family<br />
were locked up in an iron cage at the<br />
Toru-Ndoro Community cell for<br />
maintaining that the Alei-Toru/Kala-<br />
Toru/Krin creeks and environs belonged<br />
to their maternal home, Ogbotobo<br />
community in Ekeremor Local<br />
Government Area of Bayelsa State.“A<br />
member of the family, Mrs. Eunice<br />
Binaebi, told newsmen in Yenagoa that<br />
the Community Executives allegedly led<br />
by the CDC Chairman of Toru-Ndoro,<br />
Mr Abunty Etifa-Hitler, first ordered<br />
them to proceed on exile and having<br />
refused were locked up in an iron cage,<br />
threatening that any native of the<br />
community who gave them food or water<br />
would pay a fine of N100,000.<br />
Mrs Binaebi alleged that though the<br />
victims had been released from the cage,<br />
they were asked not to go anywhere near<br />
the creek to fish or farm until they pay a<br />
fine of N200,000 or be forced into exile.<br />
When contacted on phone, the CDC<br />
Chairman of Toru-Ndoro, Mr. Abunty<br />
Etifa-Hitler, described the matter as "a<br />
community issue," saying that the area in<br />
dispute was not Ogbotobo creeks but Alei-<br />
Toru creeks.<br />
He, however, denied that ten<br />
members of the Otubo family were<br />
locked up in the iron cage with their<br />
rights violated under his supervision,<br />
pledging to get back which he never<br />
did.<br />
Spokesman of the Bayelsa Police<br />
Command, Asinim Butswat, when<br />
contacted, said he was trying to get in<br />
touch with the Divisional Police Officer<br />
in charge of the area for details.<br />
•Two members of the family locked up in the iron<br />
cage.