Woman stabs robber to death in Lagos

A middle-aged woman is currently recuperating in a Lagos hospital, after robbers stormed her rented apartment on the Lagos Island, during which she stabbed one of the assailants to death.

According to PUNCH Metro, the woman, identified simply as Adenike, and her family were attacked on Tuesday at about 2am on Eyin Iga Street.The robbers, who were armed with knives and cutlasses, reportedly gained entrance into the house after damaging the gates. 

It was learnt that when the robbers got to Adenike’s apartment, there was a struggle during which one of the robbers, identified as Quadri Iginla, cut her with a knife.

Adenike was said to have wrenched the knife from Iginla, and stabbed him in the stomach.The robbery suspect reportedly lost balance and fell off from the two-storey building.

Neighbours, who learnt of the robbery, were said to have alerted the police from the Adeniji Adele Division.The other suspected robbers reportedly escaped after the police got to the area. 

The policemen were said to have rushed Iginla, who was unconscious, to the Lagos Island General Hospital, while Adenike was also taken by her family to a private hospital.

When our correspondent got to the area on Thursday, it was learnt that Iginla died in the hospital.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro, Adenike’s husband, who declined to give his name, said the robbers injured his wife in the hand with a knife, adding that there was a struggle during which Iginla was pushed off the building.

He said, “We cannot confirm the number of the robbers. They entered my apartment at about 2am. One of them injured my wife in the hand and there was a struggle. As this went on, other people called the police and a patrol van was sent to our street.

“The robbers quickly fled from the house. One of them, who had sustained a knife injury, fell off the staircases. The policemen took him to a hospital for treatment.”

A police source told our correspondent that Iginla was not attended to at the general hospital for lack of a vacant bed. He added that the robbery suspect died at a health center on the Adeniji Adele Road.

He said, “The police patrol team responded to a distress call on the street at about 2.30am. A male robbery suspect, Iginla, was found injured. The suspect and others, who are still at large, allegedly entered Adenike’s room. While making away with possessions, the woman overpowered one of them, and stabbed him in the stomach.

“She was also injured in the hand. During the struggle, others escaped, but the robber fell off the building. The police took the suspect and the victim to the hospital.”

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that Iginla’s girlfriend showed up at the police station, and wanted to know where he was being treated.

He said, “No one in the area knew the identity of the injured robber. His girlfriend showed up at the station, and was asking the police to let her stay with him, but they did not allow her.”

Our correspondent gathered that the knife had been recovered, while the case had been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation.

PDP Workers tell NWC -You can't fire us after making N12bn in 9months

Angry workers of the Peoples Democratic Party have accused the members of the National Working Committee of the party of squandering N12bn in nine months.

Out of the total sum, the workers said N11bn was realised from the sale of nomination forms while N1bn was got from the sale of delegates forms.They alleged that the money was squandered shortly after the sale of the forms commenced on October 27, 2014 till date. 

The workers said this in their response to the letter sent to them by the party’s National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, on Wednesday.

Oladipo, in the letter, had informed the workers about the decision of the NWC to reduce the party’s workforce by 50 per cent and to also cut the salaries of those to be retained by the same percentage.

But the workers, after a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, sent a reply to Oladipo.

Their reply, which was directed to Oladipo, was dated July 30, 2015 and titled, “Re: Organisation and Restructuring of staff at the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party.”

They sent copies of the letter, which was exclusively obtained by our corespondent, to former President Goodluck Jonathan and the acting Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, Alhaji Haliru Bello.

Also, copies were sent to the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, PDP caucuses in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Dr. Segun Mimiko and all the PDP governors.

Besides querying how the N11bn was spent, the workers also said they were aware that the party realised another N1bn in sales of delegates forms recently.

With this, the angry workers wondered how the party that was in power could be in a financial mess.

Their letter to Oladipo read in part,

 “While we appreciate the fact that the party is no longer in power, we are equally aware that the party realised over eleven billion naira (N11,000,000,000) in income from the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms in the last quarter of 2014.

“We are equally aware that the NWC collected over a billion naira from the sale of delegate forms via a company account called Morufi Nig. Ltd, Zenith Bank Account N0:1014041654.

“With this healthy bank balance, we find it strange that after just two months of handing over power, the NWC is proposing a 50% reduction in staff emoluments.”

They said that they were aware that the NWC members were in the habit of paying themselves huge sums of money after the party lost power during the 2015 general elections.

The letter read further, 

“We have also observed from publications in the media that the NWC shared outrageous largesse among themselves immediately after the party’s loss in the last general elections.

“We are appalled by the whimsical and derisory nature of the circular which unfortunately negates all known administrative procedures. We wish to recall that the national secretary, who is statutorily in charge of the administration of the secretariat, has never called for a staff meeting or held any interactive session with the staff since his privileged appointment.

“We wish to draw the national secretary’s attention to the fact that there are administrative procedures for the disengagement of staff whose appointments have been duly confirmed.”

The workers said they welcomed the decision of the NWC members to reduce their personal staff and also reduce their emoluments.

But they said they rejected “the directives for staff members to get revalidation letters from the state chapters as this act will amount to accepting our unlawful disengagement from service.

“We reject in totality the proposal to reduce staff emolument by 50%. This is because unlike the members of the NWC, the staff are solely dependent on their salaries and allowances.”

They said they still have unwavering belief in the possibility of the party bouncing back, and, therefore, urged the NWC to have the same faith.

The workers reminded the NWC members that the establishment staff of the PDP national secretariat were engaged on the basis of a well-articulated establishment manual that expressly stated the conditions of service therein.

However, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, told our correspondent that the party took the decisions because it realised that majority of the workers had lost touch with their state chapters of the party.

Punch 

I’m not expecting to be named Minister – Tunde Bakare

General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, says he doesn’t expect President Muhammadu Buhari, to give him a ministerial appointment.

Bakare, said this in an interview with Sahara TV on Thursday, but he would however fail to give a direct answer when asked if he would accept a ministerial appointment if offered by the President.

In response, he said: “As far as I am concerned, I am not expecting to be named a minister. If I am offered an appointment, when I get to that bridge I will cross it. I am already a minister of the gospel. Ministry is my calling and my life. The word minister means servant. When you expect nothing, you cannot be disappointed. I keep on doing what I am doing, to be a solid supporter of the Buhari movement and what he stands for in public life. I have no regret on what I did in 2011. If an opportunity presents itself, I will do it again. I am not seeking anything.

“Let’s not count chickens before they are hatched. The bible says the expectation of the righteous will not be cut off. That is when the expectation of the righteous is in tandem with God’s expectation. If you are expecting from God, the flesh can fail. Who knows tomorrow? In the next two months, when the ministers would be named, what if nobody is here or alive? ”

When asked on whether he feels former President Goodluck Jonathan should be probed, he said: “I will not advocate that President Jonathan should be probed or not be probed. A day or two before the inauguration of the President, the transition committee received a report. They worked on it for weeks.

“The President has looked into those reports. If there are anomalies, President Buhari will call the former president   and say things are irregular and the law should take its effect. But as for the witch-hunt of others, that is a waste of time. If you keep on chasing the wrong things, you will not do the right things. But that does not mean anyone who has done evil should get away with it.

Speaking further, Bakare said he would not support the restitution of stolen funds as amnesty for corrupt government officials, stressing that this would promote a wrong attitude.

He said: “What Nigeria needs now are not so much of restitution. Some stolen funds that were sent back to Nigeria in the past went into wrong hands. What Nigeria needs is a clear example of good governance, the rule of law as against the rule of men.

“On the rule of men, might is right. On the rule of law, right is might. So if you can get ‘right is might’ in place, if you do something wrong and you are punished for it, those who have the desires to do similar things will know that there are consequences for their choices, that is where we are going. I can tell you that witch-hunt is not something that President Buhari would support. Perish the thought, it is not his character.”

How Obasanjo made Buhari intervene in Reps leadership crisis

It has emerged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s call to President Muhammadu Buhari played a vital role in making the President change his decision not to intervene in the leadership crisis that rocked the House of Reps which ended Tuesday with the emergence of Femi Gbajabiamila as the Leader. 

Following the stalemate that emerged after the emergence of Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker of the House and the insistence by President Buhari that he will not intervene, some leaders of the party approached Obasanjo to intervene with Buhari to avert a crisis in the lower arm of the National Assembly.

According to a member of the House of Reps who was privy to the decision

a group of concerned members of the House decided that since President Buhari was adamant on his position about not intervening in the National Assembly leadership crisis, it was decided that they should approach the former President to  talk to him and make him change his mind.

“Initially, we wanted to approach members of his transition committee, especially those who have been with him for a long time, to impress on the President on the need to have a say in the leadership of the National assembly. We met a brick wall and decided that the best bet is the former President, who is respected by President Buhari and he knows the implications of not having his foot in the National Assembly leadership. And he was amenable to our suggestion,” the member told Vanguard.

It was gathered that after speaking with President Buhari, the former President told him that it is important for the country’s democracy that he should intervene to ensure party supremacy. 

“We believe that it was that intervention that led to the resolution of the crisis,” the source confirmed.

Married Woman Leads Robbery in Lagos, Strips Female Officer

26-year-old Victoria Momidu, is a lady one could described as a shy person at first glance. But as she stood along with her partner in crime behind the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Command, Ikeja, one could best imagine how calm but deadly she could be while operating alongside her robbery gang.

Victoria and one other member of her gang were arrested recently by the men of Lagos State SARS, who had been on their trail after receiving a tip-off about the gang’s plan.

In her confession, Victoria said: “I was hustling before I met Okokawon, who is my boyfriend. He told me to join his gang. When she was asked to explain what she meant by hustling, she replied in one word “prostitution.”

She and her gang had robbed some passengers along the Mile 2- Badagry Expressway. They operate from private cab, a police source alleged.

It all began some months ago, Victoria narrated. She said another member of the gang, Okolawon, (also in SARS custody) had approached her on the need for her to join the gang.

Victoria Momidu said she was once a prostitute but had to stop prostituting six months ago because she was not making enough money from the aged long profession.

“I ran away from my husband’s house in February, abandoning my three children in the process. I came to Lagos to hustle soon after I left my husband and children in Benin. It was a lady I met inside a commercial bus at Mile 2 Motor Park that introduced me to prostitution. She took me to where she was leaving in a hotel at Seme. I later joined other ladies in the act.“I was making between N2000 and N3,000 per night anytime I have a customer, who will take me home for the night. This was what I was doing, until I met Okokawon. He came to the hotel where I was staying along with some friends to drink. He later asked me if I will spend the night with him,” she said.

She added that Okolawon came back three weeks later to take her out again, saying that they actually spent the whole day together. She explained that it was at their third outing that Okolawon started picking passengers with his car, a thing which he had not done in her presence before.

“He picked up four passengers, who were going to Badagri, from Iyana Oba bus stop on that day. That was around 9p.m. Somewhere around Okoafon, he stopped, pretending as if the car had suddenly developed fault. It was a lonely stretch of road. Suddenly, another car stopped and the occupants of the car jumped out and I noticed that they were armed with dangerous weapons. They collected all cash and valuables that were in possession of the passengers,” she said.

Vick, as she is known by the gang, alleged that at first she was afraid, but that she later discovered that they were Okokawon’s armed robbery gang and that it was a planned attack.

“I was not given anything the first day out with the gang since it was my first experience. I discovered that I was only used to deceive passengers to board the car. The second time out I was given N10,000 after the operation. Outside cash, Okolawon goes with all phones collected from victims,” she said.

She further confessed that she eventually joined the gang after she discovered that she will make more money from the operation than prostituting.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Cornelius Kayode Aderanti, who confirmed the report, said that the suspect along with four others, were involved in series of robbery along the Mile 2/Badagry.

Man shares story of how a Corps member was arrested after helping a man withdraw money from ATM

A lot to be learnt here. Continue to read the story as shared by this twitter user.

Read from bottom up..

Photos: Controversial South African pastor prays gay spirit into man

Remember the pastor who made his members swallow snakes and eat cloth during one of his deliverance services? Well he is in the news again. Last Sunday while preaching in his church, he prayed the gay spirit into the young man pictured above. See more photos after the cut...

Drogba mobbed by fans after touching down in Canada to start new chapter in MLS

The Chelsea legend was mobbed by hundreds of fans as he arrived the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Canada yesterday Wednesday July 29 after agreeing to join Major League Soccer side, Montreal Impact, believed to be 18-months in length. 

The 37 year-old Ivorian star left Chelsea in May after playing 381 games for the Blues and winning four Premier League titles with the London club. See the photos after the cut...

Photos: Caitlyn Jenner steps out in black jumpsuit & stilettos

Ms Jenner stepped out in this chic black jumpsuit that featured a sweetheart cut neckline as she dined at actress Eva Longoria's restaurant, Beso in Hollywood yesterday. More pics after the cut...

Police arrest 9 more suspects over the killing of 4yr old boy in Lagos

9 people have been arrested in connection with the July 27th murder of a four-year old boy by 16 year old Tajudeen Azeez (pictured above) in Ijaniki, Lagos. (read previous story here)

The Lagos state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Patricia Amadin, said the suspects were arrested following a confessional statement by Azeez who is currently in police custody. She added that the police is still investigating the matter and more arrest will be made.

Azeez had agreed to kill his neighbor's child after a man named Osho promised to give him N50,000 if he can provide human flesh

Man butchers friend in Akwa Ibom, (Graphic content)

Residents of Itu Road, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Wednesday, woke to a horror sight, following the murder of a middle-aged barber by a close family friend who was supposedly his boss.

Steven Onowa, a graduate of Federal Polytechnic Oko, from Anambra State, was arrested by men of the Akwa Ibom State police command over the murder of Daniel Bassey Solomon, his close friend and employee.

It was gathered that Onowa, who tried to escape after allegedly killing his friend and dismembering him, was arrested with the aid of a GSM tracking device employed by officers and men of the Police Force.
Explaining the incident which led to the gruesome murder of the said barber, who hailed from Uruan Local Government Area, the state Police Commissioner, Mr Gabriel Achong, said the culprit confessed to have invited his friend to his house and offered him a drink he had already poisoned.

Steven said:

“At about 3.00 a.m, I decided to kill him.

“I gave him the first cut, the guy got up; I gave him a second one and he died and I butchered him to parts,” the suspect confessed.

The commissioner, who confirmed that a quarrel had been on for the past two years between the ‘butcher’ and his victim,  even as their case file was still with the SARS department of the command, said the police were successful in tracking down the culprit through the assistance of his landlord, who kept contacting him on phone, as the police kept tracking the calls.

“After stabbing him to death, he used matchet to chop off his hands, head and two legs. He packed the parts in a sack, pulled it out of the house to the major street of Itu Road.”

Apparently tired of evacuating the corpse to a safer place, he was said to have abandoned the deceased in a bag, removed the vital parts, including his two hands, which he dumped in a place along School Road and the head, which he hid in an abandoned dump site on the same Itu Road.

The suspect, who confessed to the crime, said he had called his victim on phone for an urgent meeting in his house, where he drugged his Orijin beer.

According to him, when the late Dan arrived, his killer entertained him with the drugged beer and it was not long before the deceased dosed off, giving his killer the opportunity to tie him, before stabbing him to death.

The suspect’s landlord, Mr Celestine George, who spoke to journalists at the police headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, said the police was called after the incident was reported and he had to put a call to the suspect and demanded for the balance of his rent.

“The suspect said he was about travelling and that he was with the balance which he would pay me before travelling. I then asked him to meet me at Itam junction, within the premises of a church where I had already told the SARS men to lay ambush for him.

“I kept calling him until he arrived at the premises of the church where I tricked him to. He came in a car with three armed mobile policemen and I hinted the men of the SARS formation, who had laid ambush for him within the premises and he was apprehended and handcuffed.

“The three mobile policemen were eventually overpowered by the SARS men and the suspect was arrested and taken to the police headquarters at Ikot Akpanabia,” he said.

What annoyed the angry residents of Itu Road the most, according to a neighbour, “is the fact that the suspect, apart from being a close friend of the deceased, was also having an affair with one of the late Dan’s sisters.”

He disclosed that such close relationship led to the suspect opening a barbing salon for his victim along Urua Ekpa Road.

When interrogated by newsmen, Onowa claimed to have killed his victim for daring to raise his voice at him over his N750,000 he had refused to account for.
He said:

“We reported the matter to SARS about two years ago and he agreed on a timeframe to pay up the N750,000. Till today, he has refused to pay the money, so when I invited him to my house that day, he started shouting at and getting angry with me, so I killed him. I am not dealing in body parts. I only cut him to pieces to be able to carry him,” the suspect added.

P’Harcourt, Warri refineries commence petroleum production – NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC says the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have commenced petroleum production after some in-house engineers conducted a nine-month rehabilitation on both facilities.

The oil corporation announced this in a statement released by its General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Mr Ohi Alegbe yesterday. The statement in part reads

“What this means is that both plants have resumed production of petroleum products. For now, about 60 per cent of its 210,000 barrels per day production capacity is being achieved, but it is projected that it will hit its installed 125,000 barrels per day capacity soon,”

The statement added that the Port Harcourt refinery would eventually hit five million litres of petrol per day, while Warri would contribute 3.5 million litres of petrol.