22112022

6 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2022
Ondo hair stylist
poisons self
after being jilted
by boyfriend
By Dayo Johnson
AKURE—DOCTORS at the
State Specialist Hospital, in
Akure, the Ondo State capital, are
battling to revive a 23-year-old hair stylist,
Tunrayo Balogun, who reportedly
poisoned herself, after her boyfriend jilted
her.
Vanguard gathered that the victim
drank the poisonous substance,
suspected to be Sniper, after her
boyfriend reportedly informed her that
he was no longer interested in the
relationship.
Tunrayo was said to have rushed to
their residence, located at ljapo Estate,
in the Akure metropolis, where she
consumed the poisonous substance.
A family source hinted that her mother,
who returned from an outing, met her
wringing in pain on the floor.
The mother was said to have seen an
empty bottle of the sniper in her hands
and thereafter rushed her to the state
specialist hospital with the assistance of
her neighbours.
Vanguard gathered that doctors have
been battling to revive her since she was
rushed to the hospital.
Speaking with newsmen, one of the
victim's friends, who identified herself as
Yetunde, said that Tunrayo suddenly
withdrew from her friends when she met
the new boyfriend.
" We were very close before she met this
new boyfriend. But Tunrayo suddenly
withdrew and became attached to the
lover boy.
Hospital detains
14 yr-old -boy
over N1.6 m
medical bill
By Steve Oko
A
14-year-old boy, ThankGod
Nwachukwu, knocked down by
a hit-and-run motorcyclist, last year,
while returning from band practice in a
church, is being detained at the Holy
Child Orthopedic Hospital, Agbani
Road, Enugu, following the inability of
the parents to pick up his medical bill.
His father, a Pastor with the
Assemblies of God Church, Amita
Isiagu, in Ebonyi State, Paul
Nwachukwu, said the family needs N1.6
million to defray the medical bill of his
son.
Narrating his ordeal to Vanguard, the
father of six said that the family had
gone through unpleasant moments
since the ugly incident happened a year
ago.
He said that his son, a JS 2 student of
Echele Amita Secondary School Isiagu, was
knocked down by a hit-and-run motorcyclist
on November 6, 2021, while the boy was
returning from band practice in the church.
According to him, the motorcyclist who
was said to be driving without a light fled the
scene after
shattering
the ankle
bone of the
victim.
" W e
l a t e r
found him
( t h e
motorcyclist)
but he
said he
had no
father and
mother
and has
not been
able to
make any
financial
contribution
for my
s o n ' s
treatment",
•The victim, the Pastor
ThankGod. agonised.
:Vanguard
News
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
DONATION—From left: Principal, Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind, Chigozie
Asogwa; student, Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind, David Uzodinma; Group
Corporate Communications and Event Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc., Tope Ashiwaju;
student, Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind, Ejiro Ajaboron, and Executive
Secretary, Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind, Mayowa Oke, during Dufil's
donation of educational aid equipment to the society, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.
Poisoned food claims 11 lives in
Benue
By Peter Duru
MAKURDI—AT least 11
persons have reportedly died
of food poisoning in Ikobi Community,
Apa Local Government Area of Benue
State.
It was gathered that the victims lost
their lives after consuming food that was
contaminated with harmful chemicals.
It was also gathered that those who
died in a space of one week included Adi
Ale, Ochefije Ojo, Maria Ojo, Aipu
Ochefije and Aboyi Ochefije.
Others are Mary Ochoyoda and Ehi
Abu, Blessing Abu, Peace Ochoyoda,
Ojochono Daniel and Favour Edoh. ““A
source, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, disclosed that while six of
the victims died in one day, five others
died a few days after.
He disclosed that one of the bereaved
Gunmen abduct ex-Akeredolu's aide,
demand N100m ransom
By Dayo Johnson,
Kingsley Omonobi &
Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo
A
former Senior Special Assistant
to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of
Ondo State , Mr. Richard Omosehin,
has been abducted by gunmen at his
Igbekebo residence, in Ese Odo Council
area of the state.
Meanwhile, the state police
command, which confirmed the
abduction, said it had begun a search
for the victims while an investigation
into the matter had commenced.
A family source told Vanguard that
the former governor's aide was
kidnapped on Friday.
According to him: "Richard, a strong
leader of the APC was kidnapped by six
gunmen, who came to the community
on a speed boat and went to his private
house where he was dragged into the
boat and they sped off.
The incident happened at about 2 am
on Saturday. Immediately, people
invited the police but by the time the
policemen arrived at the place the
kidnappers have taken the man (victim)
away.
Meanwhile, the monarch of Igbekebo
town, Oba Simon Dabo, said on a radio
programme, monitored yesterday that
"the victim was allowed to call his wife
from the den of the kidnappers and the
bandits had demanded a sum of N100
million for his release.
family members, Ochoyoda Abu, lost
his wife (Mary), two sisters (Ehi and
Blessing) and a daughter (Peace) in the
unfortunate incident.
He said: "It is a sad moment for us all
in Ikobi. Initially, people didn't
understand what was going on when
the people started dying until it was
discovered that all those who died ate
the meal that came from the same
source which had been preserved with
chemicals.
"Our findings showed that one of the
victims had cooked for people to eat and
also given out part of the corn flour she
got from a neighbour's house to some
other persons for food. Unfortunately,
almost everyone who ate out of food that
was made from flour died in the tragedy.
"When the incident happened experts
from the state Ministry of Health were
immediately sent in to investigate the
strange deaths though the result of the
investigation is not yet out but we know
it was poison because all those who
partook in the food are either dead or
narrowly escaped death after being
treated in the hospital. "
Contacted, the Benue State Police Public
Relations Officer, Catherine Anene. who
confirmed the tragedy explained that
"about three months ago there was a case
of someone who died of food poisoning
at a particular house in the Ikobi
community.
Few months after the incident, precisely
on the 14 of this month (November) a
woman who is possibly a family member
of the deceased went to the house of the
deceased to clean up the house and in the
process found food stuff there which she
brought to her house to cook.
Unfortunately, after cooking the
food she served some people and after
eating the food, twelve people
suffered illness and were taken to
hospital but seven of them died and
the other five who were rushed to the
hospital for treatment survived. An
investigation is still ongoing.
•Security operatives rescue 76 abducted passengers from terrorists
in Kaduna •2 Boko Haram commanders, 47 others from Sambisa
forest surrender
Contacted, the state police
imagemaker, Funmi Odunlami, who
confirmed the abduction said efforts
were ongoing to release the victim
unhurt.
Odunlami said: "We are already
making efforts to rescue the victim and
an investigation had begun."
Meanwhile, the Kaduna state police
command says 76 kidnap victims have
been rescued by security operatives in
Giwa LGA of the state.
Mohammed Jalige, the spokesperson
of the command, said the victims were
passengers from Sabon Birni LGA of
Sokoto State.
Jalige said the passengers were
travelling to different destinations.
"On November 18, at about 2300hrs,
the Divisional Police Headquarters in
Giwa received reports that a large
number of bandits blocked a section of
Funtua-Zaria Road at Gulbala area of
Giwa LGA and abducted many
commuters,” the police spokesperson
said.
On the strength of the report, a
combined team of police and military
were immediately mobilised to the
location with clear directives to
dismantle the road blockade, root out
the armed miscreants and rescue any
victims they may have abducted.
On reaching the location, a Ford open
truck with plate number. APP 667 XG,
was found and information garnered
had it that a large number of passengers
on the truck were moved off the road by
the bandits.
"This development engendered an
immediate search and rescue operation
by the operatives into the adjourning forest.
In the process, the bandits were
encountered and by the sheer force of
firepower, pressure mounted on them by
the security operatives."
The police spokesperson said the
bandits were forced to “abort their
nefarious mission and take to flight with
injuries.”
He said the 76 passengers abducted by
the bandits were rescued after security
operatives combed the forest for several
hours.
Jalige said security operatives are still
searching for the driver of the truck and
two other missing passengers.
Yekini Ayoku, the Kaduna State Police
Commissioner, was quoted as saying the
rescue effort was achieved through the
collaboration of the security agencies.
“On Sunday, two Notorious
Commanders of Jama'at Ahl as-Sunnah
lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihad, terrorist group
(Boko Haram), Ba'a Usman (Munzir)
and Alhaji Ari (Nakib), surrendered to
troops of Operation Hadin Kai.
They surrendered with 47 other
members of the terrorist group after
coming out of Sambisa Forest following
intensive air and ground assault on
terrorist enclaves by troops of operation
Hadin Kai.
Military sources disclosed that the
terrorists surrendered to the Troops of 25
Task Force Brigade Damboa on Sunday.
Preliminary investigation revealed that
the insurgents came out from Sambisa
forest, where they have been hiding and
waging a campaign of terror.
Panic in Anambra
community
as police,
gunmen clash
SOME ARMED men,
suspected to be members of a
cult group, have engaged security
operatives in a gun battle that
lasted for about one hour.
It was gathered that the incident
happened, weekend, at Aguleri
community in Anambra East
Local Government Area of
Anambra State.
Aguleri is the hometown of the
immediate past governor of the
state, Willie Obiano.
The armed men were said to
have invaded the community and
started shooting before police
operatives stormed the area and
both parties continued to engage
themselves in the gun battle.
The reason for the invasion
could not be ascertained, but
sources in the area said the youths
were heading towards a police
station in the community before
they were repelled by the police
operatives.
Although no person was killed,
sources said some policemen and
members of the armed gang were
injured during the shootings.
No fewer than 15 persons have
so far been arrested and are in
custody, according to police
sources.
Confirming the incident, the state
police spokesman, Toochukwu
Ikenga, said the situation has been
brought under control.
“The incident happened late on
Saturday and the situation has been
brought under control, on the
directive of the Commissioner of
Police, CP Echeng Echeng. The
deputy commissioner of Police in
charge of the operation led police
operatives to the scene and
prevented the youths from attacking
the police station.
“We have made some arrests and
recovered some dangerous weapons.
Meanwhile, other means of
resolving the conflict is in place to
hear from the aggrieved youths.
“We have also intensified patrols
in the area, aimed at enhancing
peace and safety. Further details
shall be communicated.”
Police arrest 2
for inserting
substance in
lady's private
part
By Davies Iheamnachor
PORT
HARCOURT—
OPERATIVES of the Nigeria
Police in Rivers State have arrested two
young men, Samuel Matthew and
Emmanuel Iweruma, for allegedly
inserting a substance into the private
part of one Ruth Tamuno.
It was reported that Matthew, 23
years old, and Iweruma, the same age,
and four others, who are at large, had
beaten up Ms Tamuno on an
allegation that she stole an iPhone.
It was learned that the duo and the
others, who are in hiding, had during
the alleged mob action on the lady
inserted an unknown substance into
her private part.
However, the Commissioner of
Police in the state, Mr Okon Effiong,
who condemned the development as
barbaric and inhumane, ordered the
State Criminal Investigation
Department, SCID, to ensure a
thorough investigation into the matter.
The Public Relations Officer of the
state police command, Grace Iringe-
Koko, who disclosed this in a statement
in Port Harcourt, yesterday, noted that
the CP ordered that the fleeing suspects
be arrested for the alleged crime.