child abuse

The Lagos state police command said  parents and guardians who assault their children and wards will be   made to face the full wrath of the law.

 This follows the arrest and prosecution of a house wife Chigozie Godrick for allegedly brutalizing her ward Ifunnaya Nwamba  12.

Mrs  Godrick was arrested last month following a petition to the police by the  school authority at the , Adeniyi Jones  Primary School located at 1, Kudeti Street Adekunle Village in Adeniyi Jones where Miss Nwamba is a pupil on repeated cases of brutality by her guardian Mrs Godrick

 Miss Nwamba’s class room teacher had noticed on April 8^th that she had come to school that day with a swollen face and bruises all over her body.

 The class teacher one Mr Jimoh took miss Nwamba’s case to the school authority and  the girl who  was weak and groaning in pains was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

“After her treatment,Ifunnaya narrated her ordeal  to the school authority. She stated that she was punished for her inability to wash Miss Godrick’s Sienna bus wagon car properly. Ifunnaya is a little above four feet while the height of the car is above five feet so she was unable to wash the top parts of the car so when her madam saw that the top of the car was not washed, she became angry and used the water hose to beat the poor girl.”Mr. Jimoh said

Following this brutality, the school authority in a petition dated 8^th April and addressed to the commissioner of police in the state read in part.

 ’’The management of Adeniyi Jones Primary School hereby petition the police command on the assault on one of our pupil Miss Ifunnaya Nwamba a 12 year old girl who was brutalised by her guardian( Mrs Chigozie Godrick). The girl claimed to have been battered as a result of her failure to wash her (Mrs Chigozie Godrick,s) car to her satisfaction.

This has been a re-occurring issue for the past two years. About a year ago, her back was bruised and when the management asked her, she said it was caused by hot oil poured on her by this same guardian. She claimed to have always beaten her with turning pestle, hose, pipes and wood with nails’’.

The school also petitioned the Executive Chairman, the state Universal Basic Education Board at  Maryland, the  Social Welfare, and also  the  Guidance and Counseling Unit School services, through The Education Secretary Local Government Education Authority who gave the authority for the school to proceed with the case.

Police spokes person Samuel Jinadu said the police will not hesitant to arrest and prosecute any parent or guardian who assault their children and wards he said “the case was transferred to the Human Rights Department and the woman(Mrs. Chigozie Godrick) was charged to court on April 14, 2011. Mrs.  Godrick was charged to the Ikeja Magistrate court.”Mr. Jinadu said

 Mrs. Godrick was charged on a two count charge of alleged assault and causing grievous bodily harm.

Count1 read in part  “That you  Chigozie Godrick of No. 6 Duro Dania close Adeniyi Jones pour hot groundnut oil on the back of one Ifunnaya 12 years which caused her grievous bodily harm and committing an offence punishable under section 335 of criminal code cap 32 Volume 11 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

Count 2 read in part “that you Mrs  Chigozie Godrick assaulted Miss Ifunnaya Nwamba by giving her fist blows on her mouth and eyes which caused her bodily injuries and committed an offence punishable under section 335 of criminal code cap 32 Vol. 11 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

 Miss Godrick however pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N100, 000. The case was adjourned to May 23^rd 2011

HIV Scare made me kill

 21 -years -old Rafael Ikechukwu said he did not regret killing his Spanish gay  lover.

 Mr. Ikechukwu is being held at the State criminal Investigation department at Panti Yaba for allegedly slashing the throat of a middle aged Spanish man Gafaru Anthony who was in the country on the invitation of Mr. Ikechukwu his

Mr. Ikechukwu and Mr. Gafaru have been lovers for more than two years before the ugly incident occurred on April 16th.

 The seemingly joyous relationship however suffered a setback when on April 16^th the lovers had a fight at the Goti Gate hotel at Festac town where they had planned to lodge for one week.

 A quarrel ensued between the lovers after  they retired to their room from  an exciting day together; people who had saw them together earlier that day would not  believe that one will kill the other

. Mr. Ikechukwu allegedly overpowered Mr. Anthony during the fight and slashed his throat with a broken bottle.

 Officers   from the Homicide department at panti Yaba were invited to the scene of the incident   where they arrested Mr. Ikechukwu and took the body of Mr. Anthony to the mortuary for autopsy.

 Mr. Ikechukwu however said he will kill Mr. Anthony again if he resurrects.

He said Mr. Anthony had exposed him to HIV virus after he drugged and raped him.

“I met Gafaru in Ghana and we have been friends for more than two years. He came to Nigeria on the day of the presidential election,. He said he wanted to come and carry out a research but it was a lie. We went out and visited places.  He told me that his lover in Spain had contracted HIV and he is scared.

 I told him to go and do the HIV screening to be sure and he said he will do it when he gets back to Spain. But on that night while I was sleeping on the same bed with him, I did not know that he had drugged me and after drugging me, he forced himself on me and slept with me. When I woke up in the morning and discovered what he had done to me, I became angry and confronted him, but he was taking the issue with levity.

That was how we started quarrelling, he was the one who took a bottle and broke it on the wall, he wanted to stab me wit it but I dodged him and broke my own bottle and stab him in the neck, so that was how he bled to death. I did not intend to kill him; I did it in self defense and I don’t regret my action, because he would have killed me if he had the chance.”Mr. Ikechukwu said

 Police spokes person Samuel Jinadu advised residents to seek peaceful dispute resolution methods instead of resolving to violence and killing.

“The case is being investigated by detectives from the Homicide department at panti yaba; the suspect will be charged to court as soon as we are through with our investigation” Mr. Jinadu said

Notorious thief

A notorious leader of an armed robbery gang operating in different parts of the state Charles Okon has been arrested by the police.

 Mr. Okon 32 was allegedly  the leader of  a seven man robbery gang which raided the  Lady Of Fatima catholic church Surulere on April 27^th.

 The robbery suspects allegedly carted away over three million naira, handsets, four laptops, among other valuables belonging members of the church. Police spokes person Samuel Jinadu said intelligence led policing led to the arrest of Mr. Okon who has been at large and on the wanted list of the police for more than one year.

“Charles belongs to a gang of armed robbers who had robbed a church known as our lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Surulere on April, 27^th 2011 about 0100hr. The gang was sharing the loot inside a Toyota Avalon car at the Tincan Island, Apapa about 0730hrs when the police men from the MOPOL 22 swooped on them and Charles was promptly arrested.’Mr.Jinadu said

Mr. Jinadu stated that other members of the gang escaped but the police “recovered items from Charles include four laptops, an amount of N1,183,170.00, five mobile phones, one clipper, one security shirt and three constructed iron rod and the said Toyota Avalon car”Mr. Jinadu said.

It can be recalled that three members of Mr. Okon’s gang and his girlfriend Mary Onwuka 22 were arrested and paraded last month for alleged armed robbery and gun possession. Miss Onwuka was allegedly the armourer of the gang.

 Mr. Okon confessed to the crime. He said a former security guard in the church gave his gang information to rob the church “I am a graduate of the polytechnic Calabar, it was due to lack of no job that I joined armed robbery, last year I decided to form my own gang due to the profit we get, my girlfriend Mary did not know that I was an armed robber but later I told her. I was the one who gave her the bags with guns to carry to delta state on that fateful day that she was arrested at maza-maza. Now that I have been arrested, I guess the game is over for me.”Mr. Okon said.

 In another development, the police killed three suspected armed robbers who car snatcted a car on  Workers’ Day.

The suspected armed robbers operating on two motorcycles snatched a Honda Accord End of discussion car from a lawyer along Oduduwa Street, Ikeja. The victim went to the police control room and lodged the theft of his car

Unknown to the robbers the vehicle has a tracking device. The policemen attached to the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) led by the Officer in charge of the SARS Ikeja superintendent of police Abba Kyari trailed the hoodlums and the vehicle to Iba Estate on May 2^nd and engaged the robbers in a gun duel which led to the death of three of the suspected armed robbers

Mr. jinadu said the police “recovered two locally made pistols, double barrel pistols cut to size, eleven cartridges and the Honda Accord end of discussion car. A member of the gang was earlier arrested for armed robbery and charged to court and he is   in prison custody. The case is under investigation.” Mr.Jinadu said.

Single mother in N30million drug deal

DRUG SYNDICATE CONCEAL 3.200KG OF COCAINE IN CANDLES,
THEY ARE FOR SPIRITUAL PRAYERS- SUSPECT
Determined to smuggle drugs through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport
(MMIA) Lagos, a suspected drug syndicate has concealed 3.200kg of high grade
cocaine with an estimated street value of 30 million naira inside candles.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) made the
discovery last Sunday during the inward screening of passengers on Emirate
flight from Brazil. The drug was industrially packed inside six big candles,
four of which are black while the other two are green. While answering
questions
from narcotic officers, the suspect said that the candles were meant for
spiritual use. Not satisfied with the explanation, the candles were broken and
found to contain cocaine.

The prime suspect, Aina Fausat Olarewaju was immediately arrested at
the arrival
wing of the Airport following the discovery of the cocaine-laden candles in her
luggage containing female shoes, bags and clothes. According to the
anti-narcotic Agency, the 45 year old single mother of two children is believed
to be working for an international drug cartel with stronghold in Brazil. She
had also been taken on follow-up operations within the country to arrest others
people linked with the crime. Two persons have been arrested in connection with
the unlawful import but the Agency has commenced investigation to determine
their degree of involvement.

The candle light mode of drug concealment attracted the attention of other
security operatives and passengers at the airport during search. According to
the NDLEA Airport Commander, Alhaji Hamza Umar, drug cartels are daring and can
go to any length in hiding drugs away from the reach of drug law enforcement
officers. “There is no limit to the tricks of drug trafficking syndicates. The
candle light mode of concealment is simply amazing, but what is
important is our
ability uncover the drugs notwithstanding their criminal devices” Hamza
stressed.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Ahmadu Giade also charged officers to
continue to
expose the dirty tricks of drug barons through meticulous search operations.
“This seizure is an interesting one because each time we make such fantastic
discoveries; we are encouraged to do more because of the commendations we
usually receive from our counterparts in other countries. Officers must
therefore remain committed at all times because unless drug barons quit the
illicit trade, we shall continue to detect their tricks” Giade stated.
Aina Fausat Olanrewaju is an international business woman that sells
jewelleries, shoes and clothes. Since 2002, she has been going to Indian to buy
her wares until she was recruited by the drug cartel. She claimed this was her
first drug trafficking trip. In her words, “this is my first time of smuggling
hard drugs. I was contacted to travel to Brazil to bring in the drug. I spent
three months in Sao Paulo and they promised to pay me half a million naira. I
accepted because I am suffering from fibroid growth in my stomach. I was asked
to say that it is meant for spiritual purpose”. The suspect hails from Isolo,
Lagos and has two children, a 23 year old female and 20 year old male. However
investigation has commenced into her case and anyone found culpable
will soon be
charged to court

"I Killed My sister@

26- year –old Ndifreke Michael arrested for allegedly killing his sister said a mystical power made him to commit the crime.

 Mr. Michael an unemployed man allegedly killed his younger sister Lovett, 23 a petty trader with a wood on April 17^th at their residence at Mende Maryland after what he described as “an external remote was used to control me to kill my sister for no just cause”

 Mr. Michael said the mysterious power seized him on that fateful day and forced him to   hit his sister several times on the head.

 Miss Michael was sleeping when his brother allegedly killed him.

 “ my sister Lovett was sleeping when I got home that day and that power seized me and I picked a wood outside and hit her on the head until blood started gushing out , when I saw the blood , I left her and ran away, I was pacing up and down wondering what I have done because Lovett  did not offend me so we did not have any quarrel that will warrant me to hit her the way I did, so it was that external power  that made me to do what I did.”

After Mr. Michael committed the crime, he ran away leaving his sister in the pool of her blood, later that evening, other family members who were not around when the incident happened came into the room and saw miss Michael in the pool of her own blood and rushed her to the hospital,  where she was confirmed dead.

  When residents of the area heard the news of Miss Michael’s gruesome death, the youth in the area trailed the suspect to a black spot in the area where he was beaten and dragged to the Anthony police station.

Mr. Michael however said he did not intend to kill his sister.

“I love my sister and I cannot kill her the way I did. Like I told you, I was controlled by an external force to kill my own sister, it was after I killed her that I got my senses back and I wept for her, I feel bad about her death in my hands but it was not intentional.”Mr. Michael said.

Police spokes person Samuel Jinadu said homicide detectives from the state criminal investigation department at panti yaba are investigating the case.

“The case was transferred to the Homicide department at the State Criminal investigation department at Panti Yaba for discreet investigation, the suspect will be charged to court at the end of the investigation.”Mr. Jinadu said

2.2billion worth of narcotic destroyed

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed narcotics worth N9.2billion.

 The public destruction of the   narcotics took place over the weekend at the Agency’s office at Badagry.

Ahmadu Giade the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA used the occasion to call for the implementation of fifteen years minimum sentence for drug culprits in line  with the NDLEA Act.

The NDLEA boss who supervised the public destruction of the narcotics said that stiffer punishment will help to reduce drug trafficking and its illicit use in the country.

 He said the destroyed narcotics weighing about 7,970.8182kg were seized in Lagos state alone by officers of the agency in 2010 and the first quarter of the year.

 The public destruction of the narcotics which was done by burning was witnessed by both local and international stakeholders including the Commanding Officers of the Nigeria Army at Badagry, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the South Africa Police attaché in Lagos and other heads of security agencies in the country.

 Mr. Giade described the event as a victory for the Agency and for humanity in the fight against illicit drugs.  Cocaine and heroin weighed 705.7913 kilogrammes; cannabis is 7,169.0194 kilogrammes while psychotropic substance is 96.0075 kilogrammes.

“The NDLEA will continue to frustrate the sinister activities of drug cartels in the country. In line with our practice, we are gradually using constant drug seizures and public destruction of forfeited drug exhibits to emasculate drug barons in our society through our relentless efforts in arresting, prosecuting drug traffickers and the destruction of hard drugs many drug barons have been rendered helpless, more unrepentant ones shall be dealt with in the days ahead as the agency will continue to justify the removal of Nigeria from the Drug Majors list by the United States.” Mr. Giade said.

According to the NDLEA, boss, “Most of the type A drugs seized were destined for Europe and America. Drugs are known to aggravate crime and distort the economy through money laundering with adverse social consequences. Our plan for Lagos and the entire country is to take drugs off the streets and have drug addicts rehabilitated

the Agency  will continue to trace cannabis plantations and destroy them before it is time for harvest; identify illicit cannabis warehouses and seize the drugs as well as arrest the drug barons and charge them to court with the final stage of drug supply control chain being the public burning of drug exhibits”Mr. Giade added

The NDLEA boss appealed to stakeholders not to relent in their support for the Agency stating that all hands must be on deck to rid the society of hard drugs adding that the agency is committed to eliminating hard drugs in the country

Police investigate Osun king over rape allegation

234next.com

By Bamigbola Gbolagunte April 6, 2011 02:33AM

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Police have started investigation of a traditional ruler in Osun State, the Alowa of Ilowa in Obokun Local Government Area of the state, Adebukola Alli, following allegation of rape levelled against him by a youth corps member serving in his domain.

The 23-year-old corps member, in a petition to the state secretariat of the National Youth Service Corps in Osogbo, narrated how the monarch allegedly violated her at his residence in Osogbo.

The victim, who is currently serving at a community school in Ilowa, where the monarch rules, alleged that Mr Alli forced her into his private room where he defiled her.

The petition reads, in part: "I was raped by the Alowa of Ilowa on Friday, March 25. Before then, I had been introduced to the monarch during the last INEC registration exercise.

"One day, on my way from the school, Oba Alli gave me a ride and told me that he wanted me to be a computer facilitator for the schools in the community. That was after he got to know that I was computer literate and we drew a plan on the format the assignment would take." She explained that she later had a session with the students and after introducing the system to them, the traditional ruler offered to take her back to school. But instead of dropping her at the school, he reportedly took her to his residence in Osogbo, a few kilometers to her place of primary assignment.

"He said I should not worry, that he would bring me back home and eventually we arrived at his residence in Osogbo where he entertained me. It was getting late and I wanted to go home as he started to caress me. I got up begging him, but he turned down my pleas," she stated.

She explained further that the monarch later stripped her and went outside to soak her clothes, stressing that before he came back, she had locked the door.

Police probe

She further stated that the threat by the monarch to kill her, should he force the door open, made her to open it and he consequently entered the room where she was allegedly raped.

Efforts made to speak with the traditional ruler failed, as he could not be contacted as the time of this report.

But the state coordinator of the NYSC, Henry Enyenihi, said the matter had been reported to the police as well as the national secretariat of the NYSC in Abuja. Mr Enyenihi, in an interview with newsmen yesterday, said the NYSC Director General, Maharazu Tsiga had already briefed a lawyer to pursue the matter.

"It is sad that a monarch who is expected to play the role of a parent to the young corps member, is himself violating her womanhood," he said.

Although Olusegun Solomon, the state's Commissioner of Police is currently on election duty outside the state, but a senior police officer confirmed the report.